Tijjani Reijnders chooses Saudi Arabia: big money or a step backwards?

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FT Desk

It’s one of the transfers the world keeps talking about: Tijjani Reijnders chooses Saudi Arabia. He is about to make one of the most discussed transfers of this summer. The Dutch midfielder is leaving Manchester City after only one season. Rumor has it that he will be joining Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia. The clubs have agreed on a transfer fee of around 61 million euros. Reijnders has said yes to the move, and the final paperwork already has been completed. But this transfer raises an interesting question. Reijnders is only 28 years old and is in the best years of his career. Why doesn’t he choose a club at the highest possible sporting level? Did he choose money over prestige?

Big money is waiting for Reijnders

The financial side of the transfer is difficult to ignore. According to reports based on information from Dutch journalist Mike Verweij, Reijnders could earn more than 100 million euros during the five years he will play at Al-Qadsiah. That means the midfielder is earning 20 million euros per year. Even for a Manchester City player, that’s an enormous sum of money. Salary estimates check out at earning around 230,000 British pounds per week at Manchester City. So why did he decide to choose Saudi Arabia all of a sudden? Is it just money talking, or does he have other sporting ambitions?

Certainly, there is a difference between being a very wealthy footballer and receiving a contract that’s worth more than 100 million euros. Football careers usually are short. An injury can change everything. From that point of view, it is easy to agree with such a contract. But experts question if this is the best choice for the future.

Criticism on the transfer

There’s a lot of criticism around the Reijnders transfer. Reijnders is not a 35-year-old footballer looking for one final contract. He is only 28 and has many years ahead in his football career. Only a year ago he decided to sign a contract at Manchester City after two impressive seasons at AC Milan. He had even been named the best midfielder in Serie A before moving to England. There could be many years of Champions League football ahead of him.

That makes a move to Al-Qadsiah a surprising decision. The Saudi Pro League has attracted good players and is trying to move away from its image as a competition for aging stars. Saudi clubs are now on the lookout for younger players. Still, the league does not have the sporting status of the Premier League or the Champions League. And so, there are experts who dislike the transfer. At Manchester City or another major European club, Reijnders would have to compete with some of the best midfielders in the world. In Saudi Arabia, he won’t be challenged as much.

Manchester City’s adventure was not going as expected

But there is more to the story. Staying at Manchester City just because it is a prestigious club is also not great for Reijnders’ career. His first season started quite well, but his position became weaker during the second half of the campaign. He eventually made 50 appearances in all competitions, scored seven goals, and provided eight assists. But he lost his regular place in the team and started only five Premier League games in the second half of the season.

With the adventure not going as expected, Manchester City was prepared to sell him after one year. So Reijnders didn’t have any other choice to become a superstar in Saudi Arabia. It was more likely a choice between fighting for his position, finding another European club, or accepting a lucrative transfer in Saudi Arabia. There was one club that was also interested: Nottingham Forest. Such a move might have looked more ambitious from a sporting point of view.

But what can Saudi Arabia give him?

The question is what Saudi Arabia can give Reijnders. The problem is not necessarily that Al-Qadsiah is a bad club. The Saudi league has invested huge amounts of money, and the quality did improve. The club nowadays is ambitious, since former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is in charge. But experts question what Tijjani Reijnders can learn here. The Independent’s chief sports writer, Lawrence Ostlere, described the departure of Reijnders at Manchester City as an example of modern football. Players can move extremely quickly between major projects and earn enormous amounts of money. But he wonders why Reijnders decided to sign with Al-Qadsiah.

There is a big problem with the Saudi competition. According to The Guardian, despite investing more than 1 billion euros since 2023, the league still has not improved much. The competition tried to attract younger players, but Reijnders is just part of that experiment. He is exactly the type of player Saudi Arabia is looking for: an international who is still in his prime.

Can you bet on Reijnders?

A transfer like this is always interesting for football betting. Once Reijnders starts playing for Al-Qadsiah, bookmakers may offer markets involving his performance. According to insights from Casinovergelijker.net, people could bet on Reijnders scoring, providing an assist, or helping Al-Qadsiah win a game or even the competition.

However, his move also shows why betting on football is rather unpredictable. A famous name is not a guarantee for more goals or victories. The midfielder has to deal with a different competition, different teammates, and different opponents. Whether the future will be bright will show when the season starts.

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FT Desk

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