Recently appointed Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has said during his pre-match conference said that Lionel Messi’s happiness is not in his hands but admits he was glad to hear the Barcelona and Argentine captain say on Tuesday that he wants to end his disputes with the club.
Koeman during the interview confirmed that Barcelona was on the verge of confirming the signing of 19-year-old Ajax defender Sergino Dest, as he is set for his medical on Wednesday before confirming his signing.
The signing of Dest would continue the shake-up at Barcelona, who have allowed Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal and Nelson Semedo all to leave as they try to reduce the wage bill and refresh their squad.
Messi was forced to stay and expressed his disappointment at the way Suarez was pushed out to Atletico Madrid but in an interview with Diario Sport published on Tuesday, the 33-year-old said he wanted to “put an end” to the “disagreements”.
“I don’t know if after Messi’s words I will have a quiet life as coach of Barcelona, I don’t think so, there is always something, but of course it is very positive that the captain has come out like that asking us to be united,” Koeman said in a press conference on Wednesday.
“This was very positive and hopefully everything will be a bit quieter than it has been recently.”
Ronald Koeman was asked if he thinks Messi is happy at Barcelona. Responding, he said, “I don’t know if I have that sort of thing in my hands. As a coach we have to look to make a better team for him, where he can shine, and look for a position in the team where he can deliver the best performances that he has always delivered for this club.
“I have seen in these four weeks that he lives for football, even in training matches he does everything to win and I think that winning matches is the remedy for Leo to be happy in this team.”
Ronald Koeman’s side plays away at Celta Vigo on Thursday after winning their opening La Liga game 4-0 against Villarreal on Sunday. 
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