Tijjani Reijnders to Man City transfer given seal of approval as Pep Guardiola’s £46.5m arrival “walks straight into the team”

Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany expects the club’s latest signing Tijjani Reijnders to “walk straight into the team” under Pep Guardiola.

The 26-year-old midfielder has joined the Citizens from AC Milan on a five-year deal for an initial fee of £46.5m, which could rise to around £59.2m with add-ons.

Reijnders has become Man City’s fourth signing of the summer after left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli and attacker Rayan Cherki, and they are all available to join up with Guardiola’s first-team squad at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States later this month.

Following the departure of Kevin De Bruyne and uncertainty over other experienced midfielders in Man City’s squad, Netherlands international Reijnders was identified as a top transfer target by director of football Hugo Viana.

Box-to-box maestro Reijnders elevated his game to new heights during his two-year spell at Milan, with his excellent 2024-25 season earning him the Serie A Midfielder of the Year award.

“Another cracking footballer of the right profile, the right age. He’s absolutely desperate to be here,” McInerney told Sports Mole. “He's got a lot of energy, he's also got an awful lot of quality.

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“Complete midfielder” Reijnders could be an ideal Gundogan heir

“He reminds me very much of a young Ilkay Gundogan, in terms of that elegant stride, a wonderful ability to sort of crash the box late, which Gundogan thrived off a couple of years ago playing alongside Haaland.

“You think of his performances in the treble-winning season, the goals against Man United in the FA Cup final. He scores big goals when it matters and Reijnders has a very similar mentality.

“He scores wonderful goals, great dribbler as well which seems to be a prerequisite these days for Guardiola midfielders. The last few who have signed - [Matheus] Nunes obviously hasn’t worked out very well, but Kovacic has - they can carry the ball and get past people.

“I think Guardiola wants that these days more and more from signings. You think of Savinho, [Jeremy] Doku, even [Josko] Gvardiol as well, people who are very comfortable stepping into midfield. Reijnders fits this perfectly and has that Dutch heritage of being a technically excellent footballer, a complete midfielder, loads of ability, he's got loads of headroom to improve as well.

“He'll allow City to play in different ways alongside Rodri, helping him collect the ball where you've got your two centre-backs and three midfielders ahead of them. Reijnders, Rodri and another will almost certainly be how City line up.

“I can't wait to see how he gets on. I think the Club World Cup will be a great way for him to settle in nice and quickly at City. Straight into something competitive. I can't wait. I think he’s going to be a spectacular footballer.

“I think the price of the pair of them (Reijnders and Ait-Nouri) is about £80m tops, all in for both of them. It's a brilliant deal in this market.”

Reijnders “brings something that City have been lacking”

Reijnders could be ready to make his Man City debut in their opening group-stage fixture against Wydad AC at the Club World Cup on June 18, and McInerney would not be surprised to see the Dutchman slot straight into Guardiola’s midfield.

Whether he hits the ground running or takes a little bit of time to adjust to Man City’s required tempo, as January signing Nico Gonzalez experienced during the second half of last season, remains to be seen, though.

“100%. I think he walks straight into the team to be honest,” said McInerney. “I think he just fits the profile. Obviously there might be some teething issues and Guardiola of course is always prone to playing Bernardo Silva, Gundogan, the people that he trusts.

“But with no De Bruyne there, it's perfect chance to these players come in hungry and fresh. I think he walked straight into the side. I think he brings something that City have been lacking.

“[He brings] energy, he's got the physical capabilities that maybe Gundogan and Bernardo don't have anymore - maybe Bernardo to an extent but definitely not the former. With that hunger, his ability and the tactical versatility he’s got, I think he’s almost certainly going to be a regular starter for Manchester City.

Can Reijnders make instant impact in Guardiola’s midfield?

“It might take Reijnders a little bit of time to find his rhythm. When Nico Gonzalez played, he played really well, but he reminded me of that bit in the film Whiplash where the guy is like: ‘Not quite my tempo’.

“You can tell he's got a talent. I think Pep always felt that Nico Gonzalez was great, but he just wasn't quite there yet in terms of the rhythm, hence why he lent on the experienced players like Gundogan, Bernardo and De Bruyne because we needed to do a job. We needed to get Champions League qualification.

“I don't think that's quite the same pressing issue because it’s the start of [a new] season, so it's time for new ideas, but I think there might be a small element of Reijnders having to get the tempo at Manchester City and making sure his positioning is right and all that kind of stuff, because Guardiola sees things others don't.

“You can sign a £50m midfielder from the Premier League side who’s an international and they can barely get a minute football if Guardiola thinks they can't be where they need to be, or make the right pass, or move when they need to move, or stay still when they need to stay still - ask Nunes and Kalvin Phillips about that.

“I think Reijnders is good enough. I expect he is good enough. I expect Guardiola thinks he's good enough and he probably will play an awful lot, but there's always a small chance that he might take a little bit of time to adapt. But I think the plan is to use him immediately if he can."

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Written by
Oliver Thomas