Tijjani Reijnders' time at Manchester City may only last for one season. The Dutch midfielder is said to be preparing to move to Al Qadsiah for a fee of about 55 million pounds, closing his short journey at Etihad despite having signed a 5-year contract.
In terms of finance, Man City can still be satisfied when the fee of 55 million pounds is 10 million pounds higher than the amount they paid to AC Milan to recruit Reijnders last summer. But if viewed from a football perspective, this deal leaves a feeling of regret.
Just over a year ago, Reijnders was still one of the most outstanding midfielders in Serie A. He scored 15 goals in his last season wearing the Milan shirt and was voted the best midfielder of the league. Man City at that time expected the Dutch player to contribute to filling the void left by Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan.
Reijnders also once called moving to the Premier League a "childhood dream". Football Director Hugo Viana even assessed him as the type of midfielder that any team would want to own.
However, after only one season, that dream almost ended.
Reijnders has never really found a suitable position in Man City's system. When pulled down to play deep, Reijnders revealed limitations in defense. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola's move to Man City to play more directly and focus on changing states further obscured the role of the Dutch midfielder.
The change on the coaching bench also does not help the situation improve. Enzo Maresca, the successor to Guardiola, is also pursuing new options in the transfer market, including Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea.
Reijnders' story is therefore not just an unsuccessful transfer deal. It reflects the increasingly clear reality in the Premier League: a player can be recruited for a very large fee, but can also be quickly removed from the plan if he does not meet the requirements of the new system.
Savinho only started 7 times in the Premier League last season and is currently also facing the possibility of leaving Etihad. Kalvin Phillips is still on the team's squad even though he has to play on loan. Chelsea also continuously adds and clears players who are no longer in the plan. Manchester United has gone through similar years with a series of investments that have not brought about corresponding efficiency.
According to a recent UEFA report, about half of the new transfer deals can be considered unsuccessful. As teams increasingly rely on data, scouting systems and specialized departments to find players, replacing a name in the squad has also become easier than before.
Previously, a player could take many years to build a position at a club. Now, as long as their performance does not meet expectations or is not suitable for the new system, they can quickly become redundant.
That is also the downside of the football commercialization process. Clubs are increasingly operating like large businesses, while players have become assets that can be bought, sold and replaced. Long-term relationships that once created identity between players and teams are therefore becoming increasingly rare.
Reijnders is a typical example of that change. He just raised the FA Cup with Rodri in May, but just a few months later, both midfielders were facing the possibility of leaving Man City.
If the deal with Al Qadsiah is completed, Reijnders will leave Etihad after exactly one year. The number 4 shirt will have a new owner, and his remaining 4 years of contract will also quickly become a thing of the past.
