FC Barcelona presented the 19-year-old American right back at the Camp Nou today and he gave his first-ever press conference as a Barça player.
Technical secretary Ramón Planes addressing Sergiño Dest :
“We are happy with the signing of Dest. We have fought for his incorporation. He is a player for the future. He has a lot of projection. I want to thank him for the effort he has made to be here and for choosing Barça. It is very important that the players whose dream is to play for Barça has arrived here. He comes with Ajax DNA and he will surely adapt very well here.”
Sergiño Dest :
“It means a lot to me, to be honest, I really want to start on this team. A dream has come true. I have fought to be here and I will do my best with all my potential to win all the titles and the Champions League.”
Debut against Sevilla and about his role model:
“If I can play this Sunday it would be great. I want to play now. Dani Alves is my reference, my role model.”
About his feelings:
“It is a very great experience. Everything is different.”
On the decision to choose between Barça and Bayern.
“Bayern are a great club but I have followed my heart, I have fulfilled my dream. I have made the right decision.”
On playing with Lionel Messi:
“It is amazing to play with the best player in the world. I’ll run as long as it takes. If I see him this afternoon it will be very exciting.”
On his name:
“It comes from my father. It was him who named me Sergiño.”
On his position on the field:
“I think my lane position is my best position and I want to keep it. I want to be like Dani Alves, he is my role model. I will run back and forth if I have to train more to get it, I will.”
About Ronald Koeman:
“Barça has so much history that it was always a dream for me to play here. The team started very strong and I think we are on the right track. Koeman is important to me, he is Dutch and I can connect with him. Many have helped me since my arrival.”
On Sergi Roberto:
“He is a great player, with many qualities. He scored against PSG in the Champions League. I can learn a lot from him, I hope everyone will give me good advice to reach my greatest potential.”
Expectations:
“Finding my place in the team, to play good games, and to help the team to win titles. I want to thank everyone who has helped me to get here.”
Ramón Planes:
On Dembélé:
“There is no conversation with Manchester United. We have Dembélé. We hope that this year he can give his best. Koeman already said that he is looking forward to seeing his football capabilities and we are convinced that Dembélé will have a great year with us.”
García or Depay:
“We have a good squad. In the first two days, they have already shown it. At the offensive level, the team is showing that it has a lot of offensive potentials, in the defensive part it is weaker as Koeman had already stated. We will work until the last day to sign someone who can contribute to the team. We will not just sign for the sake of it. In the coming months, there is another market and we have to be aware of it.”
About the future of Samuel Umtiti:
“For Umtiti we want best for him. He has a great track record. He is not going through simple moments. We are looking for the best solution for both the player and the team. There are four days of the market left and a lot can happen.”
On whether the Sunday’s fixture will be the last match under Bartomeu:
“The president has already spoken at the Gamper about the situation at the club. I am here to talk about sports. I want to give a sincere message, that we have to focus on the work we are doing to make a good team. We are creating a good heritage for the future of Barça.”
About Todibo:
“Todibo is a player who has different options in the market. He has a lot of potential and there are several European clubs that are very interested in his incorporation. He said he wants to have minutes, we will look for the best possibility for him and this could be by accepting any offer so that he grows as a footballer. Riqui prefers to stay despite the difficulty and there are others who prefer to grow with minutes in another place. Araújo is pushing hard. It is the club’s decision.”
On Riqui Puig:
“I think Koeman’s honesty with Riqui has to be appreciated. He spoke clearly with him. We know that a player wants to play at Barça but it is tough to get minutes. Yesterday he bet on young players. He transmits a message of thinking about having minutes, elsewhere. Riqui makes his decision to fight for his dream. We support his decision.”
On the current situation:
“I would stay with Leo’s message, of his absolute commitment. No one here has doubted him, all the inputs that come to us from the squad from Leo are positive and that is what the Catalans deserve. Yesterday against Celta, we saw a team where everyone works. That is the reality today. We have turned that situation around. We have an interesting future for the new Barça.”
