GdS: ‘Reijnders without limits’ – how goals and Fonseca’s input has tripled his value

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SempreMilan

·2 December 2024

GdS: ‘Reijnders without limits’ – how goals and Fonseca’s input has tripled his value

Tijjani Reijnders is the man of the moment for AC Milan, and Paulo Fonseca has been given credit for his role in helping him develop.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write this morning, it was a sweet November for Reijnders. He is the midfielder who has scored the most goals in the ‘top five’ European leagues over the last month considering all competitions, with four to his name.

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Reijnders began warming up at the beginning of the season: two goals for the Dutch national team in September, the first against Bosnia, the second against Germany. Then the Champions League double in October and here we are with the news that tells of a goalscoring midfielder.

With the two goals on the same evening against Club Brugge he re-established and consolidated Milan’s advantage, and he did the same with the third goal against Real Madrid. In Monza he scored the winner, then two days ago he secured the win against Empoli.

Tijjani’s evolution

The data tells a story: Reijnders has scored three goals in the current league season (in 12 games), the same number as those he recorded in the last campaign (but in 36 appearances). He became the third Dutch midfielder to score a brace in Serie A with Milan after Clarence Seedorf (four times between 2003 and 2004) and Ruud Gullit (in 1994).

It is a growth that is due to new awareness but also to a new role and new movements. Fonseca’s merits must be acknowledged: last season Tijji struggled to find goals and there was a moment when he was no longer even indispensable to Milan.

In the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals away against Roma, a decisive match for the future Rossoneri coach, Reijnders initially remained on the bench. He had the determination to recover before the new coach gave him a bit more impetus to do what he is best at.

The 26-year-old has scored as many goals as Pedri and Bellingham combined, and one more than Joao Neves, Xhaka and Fernandez. If these are the big names in Europe, then Tijjani is keeping pace.

Tripled value

What is amazing to think in all of this is that Milan paid €20m plus bonuses to sign him, but now that valuation has multiplied by at least three, meaning he is now worth €60m+ in the eyes of the paper.

The Dutchman has been with the Rossoneri since summer 2023, having been purchased from AZ Alkmaar. His name was in the notebook of technical director Geoffrey Moncada, and he arrived in the transfer window where CEO Giorgio Furlani did a lot of the negotiating.

The latter also has the task of leading the negotiations for the renewal of Reijnders’ contract, which will probably be signed in 2025, so as to be able to extend it until the summer of 2030.

Reijnders seems happy at Milan even though clubs like Manchester City are keen on signing him. His extension will see him double his salary, from the current €1.7m to around €3.4m.

A dynamic position

The renewal would be a fair recognition for what Reijnders is doing on the pitch. He is on the podium of the most used players, second among outfield players. It goes Mike Maignan (1,581 minutes on the pitch), then Youssouf Fofana with 1,381 and third the Dutchman at 1,363.

For Fonseca, Reijnders was immediately a key element, always present even when he changed other departments around in search of the right combination. In the end, the magic formula – at least to enhance the Dutchman’s talent – seems to be the current one.

Reijnders and Fofana in the double pivot is working well. The Frenchman mainly plays the role of blocking midfielder, even if against Empoli it was he who initiated the action for the third goal. The former AZ an is thus less pressured by covering duties, free to dictate, create and now score.