The £52m Dutch Exit Nobody Saw Coming Last Year

Pull up a chair, grab a cold drink, and explain to me what on earth is happening at the Etihad right now. If you had told me twelve months ago that Tijjani Reijnders would spend one year in Manchester, win two cups, and then get sold to Saudi Arabia for a profit, I would have asked for a breathalyzer test.

Yet here we are in mid-August 2026, watching the 28-year-old midfielder pack his trunk for Al-Qadsiah in a £52m deal. City bought him from AC Milan last summer for £46.5m, ran him out there for 50 appearances across all competitions, and just flipped him for an extra five million quid. Money-wise, it looks like slick trading on paper.

On the pitch? It feels like selling your engine right before entering a stock car race. Reijnders scored seven goals and played an honest role in helping Pep Guardiola bag the FA Cup and Carabao Cup during Pep's final victory lap in Manchester. He wasn't Kevin De Bruyne in his prime, but he was a steady hand who put in work.

Then the 2026 World Cup rolled around. Reijnders started all three group matches for the Netherlands, only to get parked on the bench by Ronald Koeman during their round-of-32 loss to Morocco. When he returned to England, Pep was long gone and new boss Enzo Maresca was holding a giant pair of pruning shears.

The writing was on the wall by Sunday afternoon. Maresca left Reijnders out of the matchday squad entirely for the Community Shield at Wembley. City got dismantled in a brutal 3-0 loss to Arsenal, and Reijnders was already booking his flight to the Gulf.

Enzo Maresca’s Extreme Engine Room Purge

Let's step back and look at the wreckage in City's central midfield. Calling this a tactical transition is like calling the Boston Tea Party a casual water test. Maresca has effectively blown up the engine room that dominated European football for half a decade.

First, Rodri packed up his gear and headed to Barcelona in a £65m blockbuster deal. Think about that for a second. The undisputed standard-bearer for defensive midfielders left the building because he wanted fresh motivation.

Then Bernardo Silva walked away for nothing. The Portuguese magician let his contract expire and signed on the dotted line for Real Madrid on a free transfer. That was two legendary pillars gone in the span of a few weeks.

Now Reijnders makes three. In less than two months, City have lost three international midfielders who provided tactical structure, ball retention, and relentless work rate. You cannot just delete that much muscle memory and expect everything to click on opening day.

Maresca is clearly aiming for a blank slate, but the execution feels wildly erratic. Leaving your roster thin while your main rivals are locked and loaded is a massive tactical gamble. If this backfires in September, the heat on the new manager is going to be staggering.

As BBC Sport reported, the Dutch international signed a five-year contract with Al-Qadsiah. He gets a long-term deal, big money, and a fresh start under a manager who knows a thing or two about British football scrutiny.

Brendan Rodgers and the Al-Qadsiah Bargain

Speaking of the bench in Saudi Arabia, Brendan Rodgers must be thrilled. The former Liverpool and Celtic manager just snagged a prime-age European midfielder who spent an entire season absorbing Pep Guardiola's positional concepts. That is an absolute jackpot for Al-Qadsiah.

Rodgers loves technical midfielders who can dictate tempo and retain possession under pressure. Reijnders fits that exact profile like a custom suit. In a league rapidly stacking up star power, landing a 28-year-old coming straight out of a Premier League rotation is a serious statement of intent.

For Reijnders, the exit is clean and classy. He didn't throw a public tantrum or leak frustration to the tabloids when Maresca froze him out at Wembley. He took the high road on his way out the door.

In his official goodbye message to the fans, Reijnders expressed nothing but gratitude for his short stint in England.

blockquote>"I have been incredibly privileged to play for Manchester City , and I have relished every minute of my time here. 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."

He also made sure to mention the supporters who backed him during a turbulent year of transition at the Etihad.

blockquote>"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."

That is how you exit gracefully. No drama, no burn marks on the bridges, just a polite wave and a ticket to the desert. But while Reijnders settles into his new environment, the fire alarm is still ringing in Manchester.

The Scramble for Replacements and the Cloud Over the Etihad

So how does Maresca fix a room that looks like it got hit by a wrecking ball? The transfer rumor mill is spinning at top speed, but the targets reveal a team scrambling for answers.

City are in advanced talks with Lille for Ayyoub Bouaddi, the talented 18-year-old Moroccan midfielder. Bouaddi is an exciting prospect with absurd vision for his age, but expecting a teenager to anchor a title contender immediately is asking for trouble.

Then there is the ongoing chase for Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez. City have refused to give up on landing the Argentine, but negotiations with London have turned into a grinding staring contest. It mirrors the messy saga surrounding Alexander Isak earlier in the window, where nobody wants to blink first.

Meanwhile, the exit door might not even be locked yet. Spain international Nico Gonzalez continues to draw heavy interest from Newcastle, which would strip away yet another depth option if a deal goes through.

Here is a snapshot of the wild turnover inside City's midfield room this summer:

  • Rodri: Sold to Barcelona for £65m
  • Bernardo Silva: Joined Real Madrid on a free transfer
  • Tijjani Reijnders: Sold to Al-Qadsiah for £52m
  • Ayyoub Bouaddi: Advanced talks with Lille to join
  • Enzo Fernandez: Active pursuit despite Chelsea resistance

And we haven't even mentioned the elephant in the room. As fans and pundits keep pointing out, everyone wants clarity over Man City's 115 financial charges. Operating under that dark cloud while trying to pull off a total midfield rebuild is like trying to solve a Rubik's Cube during a hurricane.

Let's be completely transparent about Sunday's defeat against Arsenal. City looked lost. Without Rodri to plug holes and Bernardo to direct traffic, the midfield was bypassed with alarming ease. Watching Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard waltz through central areas felt like watching a training drill.

Maresca is betting his entire reputation on a high-wire act. If Bouaddi arrives and turns into an instant prodigy, or if Fernandez signs and immediately dominates, Maresca will look like a visionary genius. But if City stumble out of the gate in late August, the decision to dump Reijnders, Rodri, and Bernardo all in one summer will look like sheer madness.

This isn't just standard squad rotation; it's an extreme makeover without a safety net. Strap in, because the opening month of the Premier League season is going to be a wild ride at the Etihad.