Manchester City have officially announced the signing of Tijjani Reijnders.
The Dutch midfielder was Pep Guardiola’s top target for the number eight role in his team ahead of the summer transfer window, and after Reijnders completed his Man City medical on Sunday, Wednesday was announcement day for the £46.5m signing.
The former AC Milan star joins Rayan Cherki at Man City, with the duo now set to be at the heart of Guardiola’s team next season, as the legendary coach was keen to revamp his midfield after identifying it as an area of weakness following a tough 2024/25 campaign.
Upon his arrival at the Etihad Stadium, Reijnders has now revealed the Man City star he is most excited about playing alongside, and it won’t be a surprise to fans of the Manchester club.
Tijjani Reijnders is excited to play with Rodri
Reijnders has already admitted that Guardiola is one of the main reasons he has joined Man City this summer, as the Dutch star has been a fan of the legendary coach for years.
When asked what player he is most excited about playing alongside at the Etihad Stadium, the new Man City star said Rodri.
This will not come as a surprise for City fans as the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner is considered one of the best midfielders in the world, and the Spaniard will make Reijnders’ life easier as he will do all the heavy lifting on the defensive side of the game, so the Dutch star can get forward.
Rodri missed most of the 2024/25 campaign due to his serious knee injury, and the question mark regarding the midfielder is whether he will come back the same player.
If the Spain international does, then Man City’s midfield could be lethal next season, which is what Guardiola wanted to come out of the current summer transfer window.
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How Tijjani Reijnders compares to Rodri
Reijnders and Rodri are two different midfielders as the Spaniard controls the tempo of games, breaks up play, and breaks the lines with his passes from the number six position.
While Reijnders is a box-to-box midfielder, with his main attributes being his ability to burst forward and arrive in the box at the perfect time.
| Player (season) | Games | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
| Tijjani Reijnders (24/25) | 54 | 15 | 5 | 4591 |
| Rodri (23/24) | 50 | 9 | 15 | 4327 |
The duo should complement each other perfectly, and throw in the flair of Cherki, and Man City have a very exciting and dynamic midfield trio.
Man City fans should be very excited about the arrival of Reijnders, as the midfielder has the potential to be one of the signings of the 2025/26 campaign.
