Tijjani Reijnders Completes £52m Move to Al-Qadsiah
Tijjani Reijnders’ brief Manchester City chapter is over. The Netherlands midfielder has completed a £52m move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah, drawing a line under a one-season stay that never quite caught fire.
From Guardiola’s last push to the exit door
City paid £46.5m to prise Reijnders from AC Milan last summer, viewing the 28-year-old as part of the next midfield cycle. He arrived in a title-winning dressing room, stepped into Pep Guardiola’s final season, and played often enough to suggest trust, if not untouchable status.
Fifty appearances in all competitions tell one part of the story. Seven goals, two domestic trophies, and a place in the side that lifted both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. On paper, that looks like a player embedded in the project.
Yet it never truly became his team.
Reijnders featured regularly but rarely dominated games in the way City’s great midfielders have done. As Guardiola bowed out, the club’s direction shifted. So did Reijnders’ place in it.
World Cup starter, City substitute
On the international stage, his stock remained solid. Reijnders started all three of the Netherlands’ group-stage matches at the 2026 World Cup, only to watch from the bench as an unused substitute in their last-32 exit to Morocco.
Back in Manchester, the signs were clearer. New manager Enzo Maresca left him out of the squad entirely for Sunday’s 3-0 Community Shield defeat by Arsenal. For a £46.5m signing, that omission felt loud.
The pressure finally told. Within days, the deal to Al-Qadsiah was done.
A gracious farewell
Reijnders leaves without a hint of bitterness, at least publicly.
"I have been incredibly privileged to play for Manchester City, and I have relished every minute of my time here," he said, paying tribute to the environment he stepped into.
"From the very moment I arrived, everyone at the club - players, coaches and staff - made me feel so welcome and a part of the Manchester City family.
"I would also like to say a special thank you to the City fans who were so warm and supportive both to me and my family."
The words underline a familiar modern reality: appreciation for the club, acceptance that careers move quickly.
Rodgers’ new midfield anchor
Al-Qadsiah, managed by former Liverpool and Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers, have handed Reijnders a five-year contract. That length screams intent. Rodgers gets a World Cup starter, fresh from competing at the sharp end of European club football, to build a midfield around.
For the Saudi side, this is not a speculative gamble. It is a statement: they are shopping in the same aisle as Europe’s elite.
City’s midfield exodus
For City, the deal forms part of a dramatic reshaping of the middle of the pitch.
Reijnders is the latest to walk out of the Etihad this summer. Rodri has already completed a £65m move to Barcelona. Bernardo Silva departed at the end of his contract and joined Real Madrid on a free transfer.
Three major midfielders gone in one window. A new manager in Maresca. A 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield as the first public marker of a new era.
The question now is blunt and unavoidable: how quickly can City rebuild the heart of their team before the season’s real battles begin?
