Premier League wrap: Bent believes that Villa can cope with losing Young



Queens Park Rangers

Neil Warnock is sure he will begin next season in charge of QPR, but admits his position may come under scrutiny if the team make a poor start. The departure of Warnock's ally Amit Bhatia from the boardroom raised further questions about the manager's future. "Every manager is under pressure if they don't get results," Warnock told Sky Sports News. "[Co-owner] Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio [Briatore] have told me right from day one, especially when Amit left the board a couple of weeks ago, that they had no intention of bringing anyone else in. [But] I'm sure if I lost six or seven games, then there would be a few more mentioned [as replacements]."

West Bromwich Albion

Eiji Kawashima, the Japan goalkeeper, has set his heart on a move to West Bromwich Albion. "Everything is in place and I'd like to finalise the transfer before the end of June," Kawashima told the Sankei Sports newspaper. Kawashima, is keen to leave the Belgian side Lierse but is prepared to fight for a place at West Brom. Meanwhile, Peter Odemwingie's representatives will hold fresh talks with the club over a new contract for the Nigerian international striker during the next few days. Odemwingie had a memorable first season for the Baggies, scoring 15 goals, and Albion are keen for the player to sign an improved long-term deal to stave off interest from other clubs.

Arsenal

Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Carl Jenkinson, the Finland Under 19 defender, from Charlton Athletic. The Gunners have also tied their England youngsters Benik Afobe and Chuks Aneke to long-term deals, along with Oguzhan Ozyakup, the Dutch youth international midfielder. Arsene Wenger, the manager, is expected to add some experience to his first-team squad this summer, with Lille's Ivory Coast forward Gervinho, Bolton Wanderers defender Gary Cahill and Blackburn Rovers centre-back Christopher Samba all reported targets. Kieran Gibbs has pulled out of the England Under 21 squad for this month's European Championship due to an ankle injury.

Manchester United

Borussia Dortmund have insisted Shinji Kagawa, the Japanese winger, is not for sale, despite reports he is on the Manchester United radar. According to the Japanese media Sir Alex Ferguson is planning to send scouts to follow the 22-year-old attacking midfielder next season. Michael Zorc, the Dortmund general manager, said the player is unsellable. "It's not a topic for us, Kagawa is not for sale," Zorc told German daily Bild. Kagawa is under contract at Dortmund until June 2013 and Zorc said the Ruhr Valley club are eager to keep him and want to extend his contract. However, Kagawa is said to be keen to play for the English Premier League champions.

Aston Villa

Darren Bent, the Aston Villa striker, insists the club will be able to compensate for the loss of Ashley Young. Young is expected to join Manchester United in the next few days, with Villa set to make a big profit on the £9.65 million (Dh58.4m) they paid Watford for Young four-an-a-half years ago. The England winger has expressed a desire to play Champions League football but Bent believes Villa will be fine without him and has high hopes of Marc Albrighton, the England Under 21 player, filling the gap. Bent said: "No one can ever question Ashley's loyalty. He has stayed here for four or five years and has been brilliant. But one player doesn't make a team. If we lose Ash, then it's a big chunk of the team missing - but we've got people who can step in and do well."

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Company%20Profile
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Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
  1. Join parent networks
  2. Look beyond school fees
  3. Keep an open mind
How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

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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.”

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

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Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.