Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta revealed that he expects Bukayo Sako to be out of action until March after the England winger underwent surgery on his torn hamstring.
The Spanish coach had previously said he expected Saka would be sidelined for “many weeks” after picking up the injury during Arsenal's 5-1 win against Crystal Palace last weekend.
In their first match since Saka's injury, Arsenal moved up to second in the Premier League table on Friday after a 1-0 home win over second-bottom Ipswich Town thanks to a first-half goal from Kai Havertz.
It meant the Gunners leapfrogged over Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, closing the gap on leaders Liverpool to six points, although the Merseysiders have a game in hand.
And after the match at the Emirates Stadium, Arteta went into more detail about the condition of Sakaa, who has five goals and 10 assists to his name this season.
“He had a procedure,” said Arteta. “Everything went well, but unfortunately he will be out for many, many weeks.
“I said many weeks, so I think it will be more than two months. I don't know exactly how much longer.
“It will depend on how the scar tissue starts to heal, the first week or so, the mobility of that. Let's see, it's very difficult to say.”
Saka's absence comes at a point in the season when the fixture list becomes relentless with Arsenal still fighting on four fronts – the Premier League, Uefa Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup – and in January alone, the will face nine matches.
Next month sees them play five times in the Premier League League (including a North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur), two League Cup semi-finals ties against Newcastle United, a clash against Manchester United in the FA Cup third round and their final two Champions League group-stage matches (versus Dinamo Zagreb and Girona).
Saka joins on loan attacker Raheem Sterling, right-back Ben White and left-back Takehiro Tomiyasu on the sidelines with their next game coming away to Brentford on New Year's Day.
Brazilian attacker Gabriel Martinelli was given a nod for the Ipswich game which saw Arsenal enjoy 83 per cent of the possession but struggle to create clear-cut chances.
“For sure, three points at home is nice,” said Germany international Havertz after the match. “Tough opponent, it's hard to break them down. They didn't have a proper chance so we controlled the game well. We still could have scored one or two more goals.
“I try to help the team, it was a different role for me today. Everyone has to step up because we know Bukayo Saka is a very important player for us. But we have to adapt.”
Arteta was pleased with how the team coped without Saka. “Very good,” he said. “It will be different. We had moments in the second half. It is a unit that is new and will take time for players to understand fully.”
“Considering all the circumstances we had this season, the amount of times we had to play with 10 men, all the injuries that we had, it's good to be in the position that we are but it's not where we want to be. We want to be first.”
Midfielder Declan Rice said others now have to take extra responsibility in Saka's absence and believes his own performances are improving after recovering from the physical and mental exertion of England's run to the Euro 2024 final.
“Tonight was different without him – he's been our main man,” added Rice. “We're going to have to adapt. It's a great chance for players to step up over the coming months and make their mark.
“I had a slow start after the Euros but the last couple of weeks I've found my feet again and I'm feeling back to myself.”
There was also some brighter news about 30-year-old Chelsea loanee Sterling, though, with his knee injury not expected to keep him out as long as first feared.
“Yes, we have to see this week how he evolves,” added Arteta. “We probably expected the knee injury to take longer than it has evolved in the last few days. Hopefully that's good news because we need him.”
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
FA CUP FINAL
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
if you go
The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
RESULT
Bayern Munich 3 Chelsea 2
Bayern: Rafinha (6'), Muller (12', 27')
Chelsea: Alonso (45' 3), Batshuayi (85')
