Manchester City’s rebuild is in full flow.
An agreement has been reached to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers fullback Rayan Ait-Nouri, adding to the £181 million emergency funds splurged on transfers by Pep Guardiola in January as he tried to salvage the 2024-25 season. Fresh off the campaign’s end and heading into the Club World Cup, it seems City are once again willing to spend freely to build the Spaniard a new team.
Savinho, Ilkay Gundogan, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez were all brought into the fold in the winter. But the real key to City rediscovering their attacking verve may lie in their latest acquisition.
After agreeing a fee of £46 million with AC Milan, City may have finally found their replacement for club legend Kevin De Bruyne in Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders. While the fee could rise with add-ons, the initial sum is less than what City spent on Marmoush and Gonzalez.
Though Guardiola’s side finished third despite many labeling the season a crisis, it was abundantly clear their spark and creativity in attack had dissipated.
Reijnders could be the player to reinvigorate Haaland and company.
Ball Driver From Deep
One of the key tactical battles in modern football is how teams transition from defense into attack. With high-pressing systems and the evolution of out-of-possession strategies—especially from teams prioritizing containment—the elite clubs often struggle to break down low blocks.
City faced this issue repeatedly last season. Against teams that sat deep and countered with pace, they struggled. The FA Cup final vs. Crystal Palace was a prime example.
Reijnders excels at progressing the ball from deep into attack, either by passing or by driving through the middle of the pitch. He’s the type of midfielder who can receive from the goalkeeper or a defender and seamlessly advance the ball into the final third.
The Dutchman positions himself smartly in buildup, often becoming the spare man to receive passes deep before surging forward. Unlike midfielders who simply dictate tempo from deep with lateral passes, Reijnders thrives on movement—combining with teammates before darting forward, with or without the ball.
The Dutchman is brilliant at positioning himself deep in build-up play, combining with his teammates—whether it’s receiving the ball from the goalkeeper or another defender. As the ball is played to him, he isn’t a midfielder who sits deep and dictates the tempo by merely playing passes wide or forward and standing idle afterward.
Reijnders’ effectiveness lies in his movement and willingness to be involved in deep build-up before making a darting run forward—either with or without the ball.
