When Manchester City signed Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan last summer, it seemed like the Dutch midfielder would become a mainstay of City’s midfield. Reijnders arrived at City fresh off being named the best midfielder in Serie A for the 2024-25 season. The Dutch international was in the prime of his career. He seemed poised to make the step up to become an elite midfielder. However, that isn’t what transpired. Now Tijjani Reijnders is on the verge of being sold to Saudi Arabian club Al Qadsiah. It is a great shame that Reijnders’ City career didn’t pan out as he should have been ideally suited to life at City.
Manchester City and Al Qadsiah are set to exchange documents that will clear the way for Tijjani Reijnders to leave City.
Tijjani Reijnders is on the verge of leaving Manchester City. Fabrizio Romano has reported that City and Al Qadsiah will exchange documents today which will clear the way for Reijnders move to Saudi Arabia. Reijnders is being sold by City for €61 million (£52.1 million).
It just wasn’t meant to be for Tijjani Reijnders at City or in the Premier League.
The start that Tijjani Reijnders made to life at Manchester City was full of promise. His performances at last summer’s FIFA Club World Cup did give the impression that Reijnders would be an important player for Pep Guardiola’s side. Reijnders’ Premier League debut against Wolves was outstanding. He ran the show at Molineux in a 4-0 win for his team and it looked like City had struck gold.
After his bright start to life at City, Reijnders began to struggle. The more time went on the more it was apparent he wasn’t suited to life in the Premier League. The Premier League is now built off of winning duels and physicality. Neither of those aspects of the game are Tijjani Reijnders strengths. He did have a spell where he scored four goals in seven matches at the end of December through the beginning of January. But that was a fleeting moment. By the end of last season, Reijnders was often on the bench. His card seemed to be marked by Pep Guardiola.
Now, Tijjani Reijnders is on the verge of signing for Al Qadsiah. That move is for the best for him and Manchester City. It is a shame that Reijnders couldn’t get it together at City. His strengths in possession seemed ideally suited to a role in City’s midfield. But in the end, his frailties out of possession meant his time in England was brief. Not every signing turns into a pot of gold. Unfortunately, this has proved to be the case with Tijjani Reijnders.