Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger concedes he is unsure whether he will be able to bring in any more new signings before the end of the transfer window.
With Tuesday’s deadline approaching, Wenger is under mounting pressure to bolster his squad in his efforts to add a 14th English title to the North London club’s collection, 11 years after their most recent.
Wenger is still looking to strengthen, with a new striker a priority for a side that scored only their third goal in six hours of Premier League football this season, and even that was given as a Fabricio Coloccini own goal in the narrow 1-0 victory at Newcastle United on Saturday.
“We are open and we are looking,” said Wenger, who has brought in only goalkeeper Petr Cech from Chelsea since the end of last season.
Wenger has developed a reputation as a manager who is not averse to biding his time to secure a deadline day signing, and he added: “If we find an exceptional player we will do it, but whether we will do it, at this stage I don’t know.”
Read more: Greg Lea on a Chelsea side suddenly facing a mountain in their way
Wenger has a number of players dealing with injuries, with Jack Wilshere, Mesut Ozil, Tomas Rosicky and Per Mertesacker all missing from the starting line-up at St James’ Park.
Arsenal maintained their 100 per cent away start to the season ahead of the two-week international break. Their impressive form on the road is in contrast to a return of one point and no goals from their first two home games.
After an eighth successive win over Newcastle, Wenger added: “It was an important win. We know we will turn it round at home, so it was important not to drop points away to ensure we weren’t too far behind the top teams.
“We’ve dropped points at home and that puts you under pressure, but we’ve got six points from two away games which is pleasing.”
An early red card for Newcastle’s Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic for a dangerous challenge on midfielder Francis Coquelin proved pivotal.
With the aid of a deflection off Newcastle skipper Coloccini, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s second-half shot crept in as Arsenal’s pressure finally told.
Wenger felt Steve McClaren’s side were overly physical; the hosts picked up six cautions. “We showed good patience, we needed not to rush things and to wait for our chances to come,” Wenger said.
“Newcastle made the game quite physical and we had to keep our nerve and not become too aggressive in return.
“The crowd put pressure on the referee, but I felt it was a red card. The referee did all right and protected my players as Newcastle wanted to stop us from playing.
“Mitrovic got a bit overboard, but maybe he was a bit unlucky.”
It was a view shared by Wenger’s opposite number, McClaren, whose side remain without a victory after their first four games.
“The red card was harsh,” McClaren said. “It was more clumsy from Mitrovic; he had his eye on the ball and he stood on the other player’s foot.
“For me it was a very harsh red card and Moussa Sissoko only got a yellow card for something similar.
“There were too many yellow cards in the game and the referee made a rod for his own back.
“Our boys are young and innocent. They don’t roll around, they get up and play and maybe we were a victim of that.”
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if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
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.”
The biog
Hobbies: Salsa dancing “It's in my blood” and listening to music in different languages
Favourite place to travel to: “Thailand, as it's gorgeous, food is delicious, their massages are to die for!”
Favourite food: “I'm a vegetarian, so I can't get enough of salad.”
Favourite film: “I love watching documentaries, and am fascinated by nature, animals, human anatomy. I love watching to learn!”
Best spot in the UAE: “I fell in love with Fujairah and anywhere outside the big cities, where I can get some peace and get a break from the busy lifestyle”
Company profile
Name: Oulo.com
Founder: Kamal Nazha
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2020
Number of employees: 5
Sector: Technology
Funding: $450,000
ICC T20 Rankings
1. India - 270 ranking points
2. England - 265 points
3. Pakistan - 261 points
4. South Africa - 253 points
5. Australia - 251 points
6. New Zealand - 250 points
7. West Indies - 240 points
8. Bangladesh - 233 points
9. Sri Lanka - 230 points
10. Afghanistan - 226 points
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Bawaal%20
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
