Tijjani Reijnders has claimed that it was an ‘easy’ decision to join Manchester City from AC Milan, and he looks forward to working with Pep Guardiola.
The midfielder’s move to Manchester City was made official on Wednesday, leaving after just two seasons at the club. He played 104 games and scored 19 goals in that time, winning the award for best midfielder in Lega Serie A, meaning it will be a tall order to replace him.
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Reijnders spoke to Sky Sports UK about his move from the Rossoneri to the Citizens and why in his mind it was a no-brainer, from a sporting point of view.
“They contacted my father at the end of the season and they were looking for a Number 8, for me it was not a big doubt if I wanted to go to Manchester City, it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world right now,” Reijnders told Sky.
“The choice was easy to make. Of course, Milan will always be in my heart, I had two really good seasons there and met very nice people, but you also have to look at the sporting aspect. I want to reach some goals in my career and I think that I can reach those here quickly.”
He is already in the United States to work with his new coach Guardiola, given that City will participate in the Club World Cup in America which begins very shortly.
“That is also a big thing of course, he is the best coach in the world, I am eager to learn new things and a new style of playing. I’m very much looking forward to it,” he said.
The Dutchman – who scored 15 goals and provided five assists in 54 appearances for Milan this season – responded to a question about what fans can expect from him.
“I am a box-to-box player who likes to carry the ball, to be also in the build-up and eventually connect to the attacking part, finding assists and goals. That is what I also want to bring to City.”
Good luck Reijnders.
Good games or bad games his effort and availability was never in question, which is a rarity at Milan.
It would be interesting to see if Guardiola can unlock some parts or his game that he is missing, like his passing, decision making and vision, to make him a better midfielder. No better coach out there to help him with that.
He was always on his way out..
It was a no-brainer because Milan under the current ownership/management has no ambition to compete at the very top, which is sad. Safe to say he deserves the upgrade, because he put in the work! Others like Theo who contributed to the dismal season a senior player at that, just want to jump ship to play in UCL and the like…that is more sad than the 🤡 management!
All the best Tijji, you deserve it ❤️🖤
I think ambitious they had… they just executed like total crap
You can’t be ambitious spending 15-20 mill on most of your players at Milan’s level. Thats Atalanta playground, we panic bought Gimenez he was never seriously part of Milan’s plans until we flopped mid season. There’s a reason why Tare and Allegri both want more budget for a proper striker
On his way out or nah, this guy extended the contract so we can get the most out of it, so just give him the flowers he deserves! On the other half its sad cause we are in times were we have the cow milking Owners from America….
“I want to reach some goals in my career and I think that I can reach those here quickly.”
There was a time AC Milan was the place to reach career goals quickly. How are the mighty fallen! Milan, a 7-time Champions League winner is now a cheap stepping stone.
Those talking smack about Theo don’t understand the issue. They came to Milan knowing it was the place to be. They had Paolo Maldini to assure them. They came to build their own Milan legacy. Then, a change of ownership and everything starts unraveling before their eyes. Management that don’t give two hoots about football, but is only concerned about making profit. This is worse than banter era what Cardinale, along with his goons — Furlani, Ibra, Scaroni, etc., have done. It’s perhaps even worse than the brief Yung Li era.
If till this point you’re still this dumb after all the free education going on in here, then it’s on you buddy, live with it.
You’re completely free to wail all you want.
@John the phony Baptist, too much Cardinale’s fart has fogged up your already low IQ. It’s a fact you’re mentally challenged.
Milan fell in 2009 when our last Ballon D’Or winner was sold for a mere 65M, nevermind the sale of the second best striker in club history for a mere 45M three years before. What followed was one more league title in 2011, with the final embers of the Ancelotti era side, and then what now seems like a really random and title in 2022. All of this notwithstanding the fact that until 2021 we hadn’t played in the CL since 2013. So we haven’t really been “the place to be” for a while, and generally speaking neither has Serie A since about the mid 00s.
Imo, 2007 was the make it or break it year. But Silvio continued to feed us romantic and nostalgic stories while the team was getting old and new stadium was already badly needed.
Mere 65M? 3rd biggest transfer in history of the football at the time. You understand fees increased over time or you think someone would pay 230M in 2005? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Try reading a book, economics for dummies. 🤣
@Vero Rossonero, can we agree that a new path beginning was being charted, a new dream was being made when Maldini came onboard. Do you agree, he was instrumental to the signing of Theo, Leao, Maignan, Bennacer, Tomori, Tonali, etc., who became the nucleus of the scudetto winning side?
What followed after? An egomaniac, totally clueless about the dynamics of football chose a bunch of arrogant yes-men to do things his way and what happened? Destroy the team piecemeal.
1. Sell Tonali and tell the fans he wanted to leave.
This was the first cardinal sin. Sacking Maldini is not an issue if you replaced him with someone more competent in that role — after all, Maldini is not going to lace his boots to take to the field. It’s about the players.
Can you explain the rationale behind pushing out Kalulu to a direct rival Juve only to buy Emerson Royale? We can pretend that was Fonseca’s call — and that will make us feel a little better, right? Yet, we know it’s the big noses Cardinale’s lapdog — Ibra — who’s behind it.
Do you really believe, Bennacer asked to leave on transfer deadline day?!
Can we agree that in two seasons things have fallen worse?
Let’s go back to Pioli’s last season. To appease the the fans, the narrative was everyone was working together in the recruitment of players, etc. Yet, Okafor is already out. Musa is on his way out. How much impact has Chukwueze, etc., made?
The following season, the circus continued. People are getting excited at the recruitment of Allegri…
Can’t blame him at all. This pathetic useless management had no ambition whatsoever and have continued to show nothing has changed. He had an offer to play for a real challenger for silverware, willing to buy the best players, and with a world class coach. All things Milan pretty clearly told him they didn’t want. Man was given every reason to leave by this ownership…
One good season. He wasn’t good last year.
in fact he’s one of the best in here. in City he wont be the best, but his new teammate and coach will help him get a lot of Silverware comparing to us in the next 2-3 season
Not shocked he had so many interviews after games saying we need to do better and be more consistent even I was thinking to myself aren’t he and Puli tired of these performances? Clearly he was and so was Puli who put off resigning until he understood what the clubs plans were, I’m glad he likes Allegri else we could have lost him too
You guys should open your eyes.
Milan has been suffering because Serie A is messed up. Look at the other Serie A teams. Which Milan top player can say these things like Tj about moving to another Serie A team.
All the top teams are struggling to come back to the top. Even Inter, and they seem to be going back to rebuilding.
It will take time to get there. Yes Milan management messed up last season. But I think their goal is thesame as our wish.
Inter played 2 CL finals in 3 seasons.Falling apart.
Play for a sh*t show that’s purging the whole team every other year or play for a team consistently fighting for trophies on all fronts.
Can’t blame him or any other players that wants to leave this toxic wholesale corporation called football club.
Should have stayed for the Milan Revolution Remake part 7. After no one was held responsible for the last 2 seasons.
I feel like a lot of the fan on here still think that we live in the era where wealthy takeover and invest money in the club. Truth to the fact is while that work in the past it was unsustainable. Yes management messed up, no doubt but complaining isn’t going to make things better.
I was among the fan complaining about Pioli before the title, we got lucky but I didn’t have much confidence in him. I realized now there was more than just him not being tactically fluid. On an economic point of view we’re on a good tract, maybe in 5 to 6 yrs we’ll be able to keep star players and compete but it’s reality the league is bad, team doesn’t have proper stadium there’s no real plan from the federation to address their incompetence. As much as I want to blame management. The league as a whole has to shift its focus as well. Since 2011/12 Italian club only won 2 out of 9 European competition and lost 7 finals. Juve, Florentina 2 finals each, Inter 3 total 2 UCL, 1 Europa league Roma 1. That’s embarrassing.
“The choice was easy to make…I had two really good seasons there and met very nice people but you also have to look at the sporting aspect. I want to reach some goals in my career and I think that I can reach those here quickly.”
Nuff said. This is one of our best, most wholesome player saying we don’t have a project that reflects his ambitions of winning things. And ppl still wondering why players want to jump ship? We hired Fonseca and Sarge ffs over the course of a season. The first one was clearly sub par, while the other clearly doesn’t translate from the Portuguese league (it happens). And now the “new and better management team” with Tare hired overrated Allegri. Of course you going to want to leave!