Manchester City announced on Wednesday's deadline day the signing of 26-year-old Dutchman Tijjani Reijnders from Milan for a fee reportedly around £46.5 million. Reijnders agreed a deal until 2030 and will be at Pep Guardiola's disposal for the FIFA Club World Cup.
The two sides had weeks of negotiations beforehand and the negotiations have now come to an end. The 2024/25 top in Serie A was voted and scored 15 goals in 54 of his last fixtures with Milan.
City aims to modernize without losing character
Adding Reijnders isn't just an addition to the squad. It's a response to a call for energy and adaptability in the midfiled. A player who can connect the lines with technical ability and rapid reading of the game.
Reijnders offers a counterbalance to that. A box-to-box type. The performance last season was good, in terms of goals as much as in terms of consistency and output.
At Milan, however, he was permitted into the box but also to come back and work the build-up. Such a versatile profile was attractive to City, who need even more players with tactical freedom to improvise without losing a sense of the general plan.
Reijnders' own quotes after the announcement provide for easier reading. He was thrilled at the possibility of being able to play for Guardiola and admitted City offers the perfect system in which to carry on improving.
Long-term investment with immediate payback
The agreement until 2030 suggests the club isn't considering this as a temporary solution. He brings the profile to be a starter or even a big chunk of the rotation. The Premier League gauntlet of fixtures alongside international competition means there has to be depth.
By signing a proven performer in a major league like the Italian one, City also decreases the risk involved in adapting. Reijnders has already had to deal with physical marking, unfriendly atmospheres, and win-or-bust matches. Milan did see an economic benefit. Reijnders was a good cog in the Italian system, but the deal was too enticing to resist, especially in the current state of mind of the club administrators.
The club that has long been a pale imitation of by-gone success stories will have to look for a like-for-like substitute, something whose ability fans will have little confidence in at all. City fans get an excellent performer in this case.