Manchester City’s busy transfer window continues apace, with Wednesday finally bringing official confirmation that Tijjani Reijnders has arrived from AC Milan.
The midfielder has signed for a reported initial £46.5m.
The 25-year-old is coming off the back of an impressive campaign, in which he produced 15 goals and five assists. Those performances earned him the Serie A midfielder of the year accolade.
Now that the deal is complete, it’s time to look at Reijnders from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective.
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REIJNDERS: THE HISTORY
| SEASON | CLUB | APPS | GOALS | ASSISTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | PEC Zwolle | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| AZ Alkmaar | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2018/19 | AZ Alkmaar | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019/20 | AZ Alkmaar | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| RKC Waalwijk (loan) | 8 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2020/21 | AZ Alkmaar | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021/22 | AZ Alkmaar | 47 | 6 | 2 |
| 2022/23 | AZ Alkmaar | 54 | 7 | 12 |
| 2023/24 | AC Milan | 50 | 4 | 4 |
| 2024/25 | AC Milan | 54 | 15 | 5 |
Reijnders, 26, was born in the Netherlands and started out at PEC Zwolle, before earning a permanent move to AZ Alkmaar in 2017.
His breakout season wasn’t until 2022/23, however, when he scored seven goals and provided 12 assists in 54 appearances for AZ. This included 18 matches in the UEFA Europa Conference League, where AZ defeated the likes of Lazio on their way to the semi-finals.
The Dutch midfielders’ performances caught AC Milan’s attention, and he signed for the Italian giants for £17m in the summer of 2023.
Reijnders enjoyed a decent debut campaign, as AC Milan finished runners-up to rivals Inter, but he found a new level in 2024/25 and was voted Serie A midfielder of the season. With more license to roam forward, the Dutchman racked up 10 league goals from open play, a superb rate for a central midfielder.
Reijnders has also played 22 matches and scored four goals for the Netherlands since making his debut in 2023.
REIJNDERS: PLAYING STYLE
“I’m a modern midfielder, a box-to-box player and that’s what you need in modern football. And I’m always fit, which is also an advantage.” – Tijjani Reijnders
The Netherlands international is a versatile midfielder, who can act as a link between defence and attack. Simply put, he’s a proper all-rounder.
His improvement in 2024/25 coincided with a new tactical role, however, as he was given more license to impact the game in the final third. Happy to get beyond the striker or crash the box with runs from deep, it resulted in 15 goals across all competitions, which is by far the best return of his career.
Above: AC Milan’s pass map against Girona in January, showing Reijnders’ position as a left-sided No 8
Statistically, Reijnders’ 77 shots last season ranked among the top 10 players in Serie A, a decent return given that he was playing in an underperforming AC Milan side who eventually finished eighth.
He was particularly ruthless in front of goal, too, scoring 10 times from 8.34 expected goals (xG).
Above: Tijjani Reijnders’ open play shot map in 2024/25 (league only), via Understat
Furthermore, Reijnders clearly has the eye for a pass. While not a pure playmaker, his vision and passing range allow him to dictate the tempo and create chances.
Indeed, Reijnders broke the opposition’s defensive line with a pass more times than any other player in Serie A last season. He also ranked 17th for key passes.
“When I got older, I looked a lot to Kevin De Bruyne. I watched his games, YouTube clips, especially the way he was scanning the pitch before he gets the ball, so he always knows where the space is. I try to do the same.” – Tijjani Reijnders on Kevin De Bruyne
WHERE REIJNDERS COULD FIT IN AT CITY
Despite that Kevin De Bruyne quote, Reijnders’ playing style has more in common with Ilkay Gundogan.
You could therefore see the Dutchman sitting next to Rodri in Pep Guardiola’s 4-2-3-1, then as play progresses, moving up the pitch and contributing in the final-third. From this position, his late arrivals in the box and clever movement could be key, particularly with Erling Haaland occupying opposition centre-backs.
Reijnders will certainly bring some much-needed dynamism to the middle of the park, with Gundogan, Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva all in their 30s.
Adding some goal threat from central midfield will be important for Guardiola, too, given that City often lacked in this department last season.
| NAME | MINS PER GOAL | MINS PER SHOT | MINS PER SHOT ON TARGET | XG PER 90 MINS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reijnders | 313.2 | 40.7 | 111.9 | 0.24 |
| De Bruyne | 426.8 | 29.9 | 94.8 | 0.29 |
| Kovacic | 367.5 | 49.0 | 183.8 | 0.09 |
| Gundogan | 2229.0 | 82.6 | 318.4 | 0.13 |
| Gonzalez | 763.0 | 84.8 | 381.5 | 0.10 |
| Bernardo | 667.0 | 83.4 | 222.3 | 0.14 |
Above: Reijnders’ goal threat in 2024/25 compared to Man City’s other central midfielders
FINAL THOUGHTS
Given the outlay, plus his tactical versatility, you’d expect Reijnders to grab one of the all-important starting roles in Pep Guardiola’s midfield.
Provided he can continue his 2024/25 form, the Dutchman is definitely one to watch, particularly if he has a starting price of £6.5m. Certainly, if he can settle quickly and City are afforded a favourable set of opening fixtures, he has the quality to hit the ground running.
That said, it’d be sensible to wait and see how much freedom Reijnders is given to roam forward before considering him as a viable Fantasy asset. After all, 2024/25 was the first time the Dutchman has hit double figures for goals in a season.
We’ll hopefully get an early look at Reijnders at the Club World Cup. Even so, it might still be best to afford him a bit of time to settle in the Premier League before investing.
