According to The Athletic, Reijnders intends to join Al-Qadsiah and leave Manchester City after only one season, with the midfielder now judged not to be the right fit for the club.
Maresca said on Friday: “When players have already made up their minds, it’s hard to convince them. You have to change their minds, and that’s not always easy.”
During pre-season, Maresca also confirmed that goalkeeper Trafford, who has joined Leeds United, and forward Marmoush, who could still depart, had both decided to leave before the start of the summer after becoming frustrated by last season’s disappointment.
“The situation with Reijnders is the same as with Trafford and some other players,” Maresca said. “I think if the club, the player, and the coach are all on the same page, believing that the best decision for the player is to leave, then he has to go.”
Reijnders was one of Manchester City’s most important signings in last summer’s rebuilding programme. He arrived after being named Serie A Player of the Season, having impressed with his ability to carry the ball, control matches and contribute goals.
City urgently needed greater quality in midfield following a difficult 2024-25 campaign. They won only 11 of 35 matches between October and March, while Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan both left the club. Reijnders appeared capable of providing the creativity and influence the team required.
City had increasingly focused on recruiting players able to dribble past opponents, and Reijnders suited that strategy. Their other signings last summer were made with a similar aim: to add players capable of changing matches and gradually addressing the weaknesses that had emerged in the squad.
However, concerns about Reijnders’ game were also evident. His defensive contribution had been limited even during his outstanding period in Italy, and he was not particularly effective at anticipating or winning second balls.
His 15 goals in all competitions last season represented the best scoring return of his career. It was also his only campaign in which he scored more than seven league goals. His total in 2022-23 was boosted by three goals in UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying, meaning his record would appear less impressive without those strikes and with his limited defensive work taken into account.
At 28, Reijnders was also expected to have produced more than one standout season before making the move to Manchester City.
Unclear role contributed to uncertainty
Another difficulty was that Reijnders never appeared to have a clearly defined role within the City side. Manager Guardiola sought to exploit his finishing by positioning him further forward, close to Erling Haaland, in a role similar to the one Gundogan previously occupied when making late runs into the penalty area.
Guardiola said last summer: “We know he is a special player who can find space in the box. Italians know him well. He can play as a defensive midfielder, but he also likes to get into the box to support strikers like Haaland and Marmoush.”
Reijnders occasionally moved into the area, including when receiving a lay-off near the edge of the box. But against opponents sitting in a deep defensive block, he often remained high up the pitch, a position that did not always bring out the best in his qualities.
His Premier League debut, away to Wolves, was highly impressive. Reproducing the creativity and goalscoring instinct he displayed at Molineux subsequently proved more difficult. Even so, Guardiola regularly selected him for several consecutive months while keeping an unchanged starting XI for extended periods.
Reijnders produced a particularly strong run in December and early January, scoring four goals in seven league matches and appearing to be settling into the team. He was then unexpectedly left out of the squad.
Sources close to Guardiola’s coaching staff said Reijnders was not used in a deeper midfield position because City did not need him to perform that role, particularly after Bernardo Silva continued to play there and Rodri returned from injury in January.
From the beginning of February until the end of the season, Reijnders did not even appear as a substitute in nine of City’s 14 league matches and started only two. Sources close to the Netherlands international said he felt a lack of trust from the coaching staff and began considering a move away.
That decision came despite Reijnders being happy in Manchester with his wife and having developed friendships with his team-mates.
Maresca added: “They train every day, every week, and they all want to play at the weekend. When they don’t play, it’s hard to understand, and it’s hard to know why. I can understand that after a season, some of them would want to play a bit more, which is normal.”
City’s midfield could undergo major changes during the summer. Barcelona are attempting to sign Rodri, while Buadi and Enzo Fernandez could also move to Al-Ittihad after the Club World Cup. Elliott-Anderson has already joined during the Club World Cup.
Had Reijnders stayed, he might have had the opportunity to play in a deeper role. That would not necessarily have resolved his problems without the ball, but it could have allowed him to demonstrate more of his strengths.
Maresca said: “Overall, I’m very happy with his pre-season performance. I knew Tigi from Italy and knew him well when he played for Milan. I know he might play in another position; he prefers to play a bit deeper rather than too far forward. But, in short, he performed well in pre-season. Now we will see what happens next and then make a decision.”
Questions over City’s recruitment
Reijnders is not the only recent signing whose future has become uncertain, raising questions about whether some of City’s recruitment decisions have produced players who are genuinely suited to the club.
Marmoush also appears not to have met the required standard. It is difficult for any player to remain on the bench for successive weeks and feature mainly when Haaland is rested or unavailable.
Rayan Ait-Nouri admitted he was sometimes “not very happy” last season, although he remains prepared to stay and continue working under Maresca. Nico Gonzalez was also overlooked on multiple occasions, but said he could accept being a substitute provided the team was performing well.
Since City began their rebuild in January 2025, they have signed Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Rayan Cherki, Reijnders, Ait-Nouri, Trafford, Marcus Bettinelli and Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Khusanov and Cherki have shown promise, while Donnarumma offers some qualities City urgently needed, despite weaknesses in other areas. Vitor Reis has spent time on loan but remains highly rated inside the club, while Bettinelli is the third-choice goalkeeper.
Trafford has departed, Marmoush and Reijnders are preparing to leave, Ait-Nouri is hoping for a breakthrough season, and Nico Gonzalez is behind Mateo Kovacic in Maresca’s midfield pecking order.
The closing weeks of the transfer window will therefore be significant for City and potentially for sporting director Victor Hugo Viana, who has overseen a large number of deals during the 18 months since replacing Txiki Begiristain.
Reijnders initially appeared to satisfy many of City’s requirements, but he has ultimately been considered unsuitable for the team’s needs. The change of manager should have offered him an opportunity to begin again, yet he has chosen to end his time at the club after one season.
Once his move to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Qadsiah is completed, it may remain unclear whether Reijnders was suited to the Premier League or to elite-level football more broadly. With only one season at Manchester City, there is not enough evidence to make a full assessment. Nevertheless, the concerns present from the beginning have ultimately contributed to what now appears to be a failed transfer.
