Transfer talk: January 7 - Nelsen set for MLS move, Michu sale ruled out

Harry Redknapp has pledged to scour the world to find the players to rescue Queens Park Rangers' season.
After watching his side gain a fortunate 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion in front of just 8,984 fans at Loftus Road in the FA Cup third round, the manager of the Premier League's bottom club revealed he faces losing the key defender and club vice-captain Ryan Nelsen in the January transfer window.
Nelsen, 35, has been linked with a move to Major League Soccer in the United States, potentially with his former club DC United, and Redknapp believes if he goes it would be a blow to QPR's survival hopes.
Redknapp said: "Nelsen is very important to us, a fantastic leader, a top player. But he has been offered a job in America and I think there is every chance he might want to go. He wants to be a manager and it is a chance for him to manage a club.
"He has been fantastic. I took him to Tottenham last year from Blackburn. He's one of the best pros I've ever met in my life, a fantastic player, a great trainer. He is a massive part of our team. To lose him would be a massive blow for us."
Nelsen has six months remaining of a one-year deal but Redknapp said: "I'll have to speak to the owner to see what the situation is with that. We'll try [to keep him] but it is difficult."

Michael Laudrup insists there is "no way" star performer Michu will be sold by Swansea City during the January transfer window.
The Spaniard has scored 14 goals in 22 appearances for the Swans this season after taking the English Premier League by storm.
Michu's effect, following his bargain £2 million (Dh 11.8m) signing from Rayo Vallecano, has brought him to the attention of both the Spanish national coach and other clubs.
But with reported interest from Russian clubs Zenit St Petersburg and Anzhi Makhachkhala, Laudrup emphasised Michu would be remaining at the Liberty Stadium.
"There is no way he will leave," said Laudrup. "It is absolutely out of the question.
"One reason is because it is so difficult to get someone in right now, and the second is that he is happy here and doesn't want to leave.
"Newcastle have just lost their top scorer midseason and that is obviously very bad. especially because it is not easy to find a guy who scores goals like him."
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Wolfsburg have completed a deal to sign Ivan Perisic from Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund, pending a medical.
The Croatia international flew to Belek, Turkey, where the Wolves are preparing for the second half of the season after the two clubs reached an agreement over a transfer.
"I expect we will be able to present Ivan as a new signing over the course of today," said Wolfsburg's director of sport Klaus Allofs on his club's website.
Perisic will sign for Wolfsburg upon successfully passing his medical today.
Meanwhile, Wolfsburg have sent midfielder Jungbin Park on loan to Greuther Furth for 18 months.
"It is important for him that he is able to gain match practice at professional level, which is why this is the right step for his further development," said Allofs.
The 18-year-old will spend the rest of the current season and all of next on loan with the Bavarians.
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Jose Anigo, sporting director at Marseille, admits his side could sell striker Loic Remy this month.
The 26-year-old has been hampered by injuries this season, limiting him to just one goal, but is reportedly on Newcastle's radar as they seek a replacement for Demba Ba.
"Some English clubs are looking at our players and have not yet come knocking on the door," Anigo said.
"It will come. The only window of opportunity at the moment is for Loic Remy, if a big club comes for him and he is interested. We will see, but otherwise no one will go.
"His succession of injuries has hampered him, and saw him miss the Euros. But I think he is back. I can see in training there is a renewed confidence.
"But if he left, we still have a strong attack with (Andre-Pierre) Gignac and Jordan Ayew. We are well armed."
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Borussia Monchengladbach sporting director Max Eberl has questioned whether new Tottenham signing Lewis Holtby has the physical qualities needed to be a success in the English Premier League. Read the full story here.
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Australia goalkeeper Mat Ryan is to train with Glasgow Rangers - but will be unable to complete a move to the Scottish side until September this year because of a transfer embargo.
The 20-year-old, currently with Central Coast Mariners, will spend the next 10 days training with the Scottish Third Division side ahead of his contract expiring.
But because Rangers are under a transfer embargo because of their previous financial problems, the earliest he would be able to complete a move is September.
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Luis Advincula, the Peru international, has joined Bundesliga struggers Hoffenheim.
The 22-year-old, who has 20 caps and can play as a right back or winger, was signed from Ukrainian club Tavriya Simferopol - although he had been on loan at Sporting Cristal in his homeland.
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Yuto Nagatomo has signed a contract extension at Inter Milan.
The 26-year-old Japan defender has extended his deal to keep him at the San Siro until June 2016.
Nagatomo joined Inter from Cesena in 2011.
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Johan Djourou has joined Bundesliga side Hannover on loan from Arsenal until the end of the season.
The Switzerland international, who has made 144 appearances for Arsene Wenger's side, has already passed a medical ahead of the move.
The 25-year-old has appeared just twice for Arsenal this season, captaining the side during in their English League Cup wins over Coventry and Reading.
A statement on the Arsenal website read: "Everyone at Arsenal would like to wish Johan well for his time in Germany."

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

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo

Transmission: CVT

Power: 170bhp

Torque: 220Nm

Price: Dh98,900

How to get there

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.

Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.

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.”

How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Our legal advisor

Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.

Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.

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