A wall of honour at Wolverhampton Wanderers' training ground lists all the players with more than 100 games for the club.
There are the greats of the 1950s including club legend Billy Wright who captained the team to three English top-flight titles. There's Steve Bull, a bona-fide goal machine of the 80s and 90s. Then a distinctly Portuguese flavour to more recent additions. But in among the Rubens, Ruis and Rauls, the Diogos, Joaos and Pedros is the name Rayan Ait-Nouri.
The Paris-born Algeria international may only be 23, but he’s in his fifth season as a Premier League regular with over 140 Wolves games to his name and counting.
Ait-Nouri played all 38 Premier League games last season and has started all but one this term following a one-match ban after a sending off against Ipswich Town.
That December defeat, which left Wolves 19th in the 20-team Premier League, saw coach Gary O’Neil dismissed and a furious Ait-Nouri ushered off by a teammate, the low point in a season which has since improved.
That game aside, Ait-Nouri is an otherwise stable influence at a club under five different managers since he broke into the first team following a loan move from Ligue 1 side Angers in 2020.
He impressed so much that when Wolves decided to make the deal permanent, French giants Paris Saint-Germain attempted to hijack the deal.
It was Wolves who got their man though, signing Ait-Nouri for a fee of £9.8 million on a five-year deal, helped by the fact that Jorge Mendes, with his connections to Wolves, was Ait-Nouri’s agent.
Wolves have endured a tough season with only five wins from 24 league games so far, but form has improved under new manager Vitor Pereira and three of the wins have come in the last eight games.
Ait-Nouri’s role has shifted from left-back to wing-back under Pereira, his skills better suited in attack rather than defending.
Wolves have managed only four clean sheets all season and despite the fact they sit two points above the relegation zone, the mood feels positive.
“I grew up in France outside Paris, close to Vincennes, with my family – my mother, my two sisters and my brother,” Ait-Nouri, who is of North African heritage, told The National.
“I played football from when I was very young in the street with my friends. Happy moments and memories. I liked to watch Real Madrid when I was young with Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcelo and Sergio Ramos. I followed Madrid in all those Champions League finals.
“My parents are from Algeria. They came to France in their early 20s and met in France. Mother was a cleaner; dad worked at Orly Airport on the runways.
“There’s a big Algerian population in France, maybe the biggest outside Algeria. And we can see many footballers; Zinedine Zidane’s parents are Algerian, [Karim] Benzema, [Riyad] Mahrez … My story is similar to his, I grew up in France and play for Algeria”.
Ait-Nouri made his national team debut in 2023 – having represented France at under 18 and 21 level.
“My parents separated and I stayed with mum,” he explains of his background. “I would see my father one weekend every two weeks. They both pushed me when I was young.
“I was training every day with the first team. It was a good city, small, by the big Loire River, but a city proud to have a football team in the top division. And life there doesn’t have the stress of Paris”.
No city on earth produces as many top footballers as Paris where youth football is well organised, well coached and standards are high.
“My mum pushed me in school, my dad in football. But I didn’t like school and I stopped school early because I signed a first professional football contract at Angers when I was 16 years old."
The Parisian working-class areas are a melting pot of culture; French people coming to Paris for a job, immigrants from the old colonies such as Mali or Senegal or in the French Caribbean who started arriving in the 1960s.
In the 90s there were more immigrants from Congo and Zaire. Then there are immigrants with roots in North Africa – Morocco, Tunisia or Algeria, like Ait-Nouri.
This mix produces every type of footballer, big physical players that can do well in England, smaller technical players such as Wissam Ben Yedder, a France international striker of Tunisian descent who thrived in Ligue 1 and La Liga. Yet the best often have to leave the capital to find their way.
Thierry Henry went to Monaco, Antony Martial to Lyon and then Monaco, Patrice Evra to Italy after being missed not only by the Clairefontaine, the national academy outside Paris, but by every professional French club.
“Why Paris produces so many professional footballers? For me, it was street football every day, five v five. My father didn’t mind, my brother told me to study and not play football. But I was free when I played street football, free to express myself,” Ait-Nouri explains.
Ait-Nouri’s game needed more structure and Angers was the perfect step up, a chance to escape the distractions of Paris and learn professional football in a relative backwater, albeit one with a top-flight football team and proud, loyal support.
He joined then from the youth academy of Paris FC, the capital’s now ambitious second club. Ait-Nouri began in Angers’ second team aged only 16, made his first-team debut at 17 and was being watched by several Premier League clubs.
“He was technically excellent,” one Premier League scout who watched him tells The National. “Brilliant left foot, good soft feet in possession and could handle the ball under pressure. Lovely balance and control, so he could always play with his head up. He ran with the ball very well.
“Very attacking. I saw him play for Angers and France U21. Technically he was above his age and French football was too easy for him.
“The only downside when I watched him at Angers was his physique and whether he could cope in the Premier League. He just needed to develop physically, which he did. I think he’ll get better and better.”
Then Wolves pounced and it was time for a step up in levels – and intensity.
“It was like a dream when I first heard that a Premier League club wanted to sign me,” he says. His English is softly-spoken, one of his three languages along with French and Arabic. “I was 19 when my agent told me Wolverhampton were interested.
“The level in the Premier League is higher than Ligue 1 – which is already high.
“It’s more intense in England, more physical, more attacks and defence, it never stops. As a player in my position that means more runs, less time to recover. Sometimes in France when you have the ball, the game is static.”
It wasn’t only the football which changed, but living in England. “My big brother lives with me,” he says. “He pushes me all the time. Like the fans.
“The Wolves fans are close to us, the people feel like a family. I am one of the players who has played the most games in this team so I know it all well.
“I like England. I don’t like the food compared to French or Arabic food – couscous, tagine. And I’ve not tried the fish and chips, I’m a footballer!”
International honours soon followed for a country he first visited when very young. “We would go for holidays and see my grandmother and my cousins,” added Ait-Nouri.
“I always had good sensations being in Algeria and I still have them now that I play for my country. It’s my chance to make the people happy in a country which made me happy.
“My family were so proud when I first played for Algeria. My father was in the stadium – we played Niger. They played the national anthem; he was very emotional. I hadn’t learnt it then because I grew up in France, but it was an incredible experience.”
Ait-Nouri was initially reluctant to do this interview. He didn’t think his English was good enough. It is.
“I can understand everything but sometimes to speak I forget some words,” he laughs. “I try to do my best.
“I have improved in four years and the players teach me new words like ‘lads’. I didn’t know this word before. I’m actually shy. I don’t like to speak a lot, but I think I’m a good guy who tries to do my best. My religion asks this of me, to help others.”
Ait-Nouri says his Muslim faith means “everything to me” and “comes before everything”.
“I practice my religion every day by praying and saying thank you to God who gives me everything I have,” he added.
The holy month of Ramadan is fast approaching, and Ait-Nouri says the practice of fasting is demanding on a top-level athlete's body.
“As a footballer, Ramadan is very hard when you are fasting and playing, but I have to do this. It’s difficult enough to play against the best players when you are not fasting, even more when you are.
“I try to drink a lot of water and eat in the night. And I try to speak to the other players who are fasting so that we can support each other.”
It’s unsurprising that a well-known fellow North African is his toughest opponent: “Mo Salah is very difficult to play against. He’s strong, he runs all the time, scores all the time, he assists. You need complete focus.”
Wolves fans will tell you that Ait-Nouri always does well against the Egyptian superstar. In one game he kept the Liverpool striker quiet for 89 minutes, then Ait-Nouri went off with cramp and Wolves conceded straight away through Salah.
There is another inspiration from closer to home. “I didn’t play against Riyad Mahrez when he was at Leicester but it was amazing to watch him when they won the league,” said Ait-Nouri.
“It showed that an Algerian player could win things in the biggest league. Riyad is the best player of Algeria of all time, the captain of our national team and he tries to help the young players.”
“The national team footballers are famous in Algeria,” Ait-Nouri added. “The fans support us home and away. If we play in South Africa for example, there will be Algeria supporters.
“It’s a strong team but we have strong rivals in North Africa and I wonder why this is. Maybe it’s because we are all playing street football from a very young age. So the North African is technically good.
“The football is different there to Europe. It’s more physical, the weather is often a lot hotter. Sometimes the pitches are very different to Europe, but I like the different experiences.
“I like to travel to the different countries in Africa and that my life as a footballer is taking me there.”
There are big games approaching, for club and country, while Ait-Nouri has one eye on the Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Morocco at the end of the year.
Algeria were last champions in 2019. Their leading striker, Amine Gouiri, left joined Marseille from Rennes in the winter transfer window in a €22m deal. Mahrez, 33, is captain with 98 appearances, Ait-Nouri is a decade younger with 15.
Algeria have a top side and were seeded in the first pot for the 2025 Afcon. Morocco, the hosts, are favourites.
“We are little bit rivals with Morocco,” Aït-Nouri says with a smile.
“A little bit? It’s like Wolves v West Brom?” counters The National, picking out the hottest derby game in the area where Ait-Nouri now lives.
“But we are brothers [with Morocco],” he laughs. “It will be good there [for the Cup of Nations]. The atmosphere will be crazy. It’s a beautiful country.”
Before that, Wolves need to stay in the Premier League. They currently sit just one place above the relegation zone have ended a four-game losing streak by defeating another Midlands rival Aston Villa in their last match.
“I am confident that we can stay up,” he says. “Every moment is an experience for me here and I just love being here.
“We have good players like [Brazilian forward] Matheus Cunha, I really enjoy playing with him. He loves this team and we are happy for him to be with us.
“He is a good colleague, a special talent and a very good player. We know the Premier League is very hard. Very hard. But we are Wolves and we will fight until the end.”
Results
5pm: Warsan Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Dhaw Al Reef, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Al Quadra Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Mrouwah Al Gharbia, Sando Paiva, Abubakar Daud
6pm: Hatta Lake – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Yatroq, George Buckell, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adries de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship – Listed (PA) Dh180,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Zakher Lake – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Alfareeq, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
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Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
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Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
WWE Super ShowDown results
Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title
Finn Balor defeated Andrade to stay WWE Intercontinental Championship
Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party
Randy Orton beats Triple H
Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley
Kofi Kingston wins against Dolph Zigggler to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal
The Undertaker beat Goldberg
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The%20specs
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WTL%20SCHEDULE
%3Cp%3EDECEMBER%2019%20(6pm)%0D%3Cbr%3EKites%20v%20Eagles%0D%3Cbr%3EAliassime%20v%20Kyrgios%0D%3Cbr%3ESwiatek%20v%20Garcia%0D%3Cbr%3EEntertainment%3A%20Tiesto%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDECEMBER%2020%20(6pm)%0D%3Cbr%3EFalcons%20v%20Hawks%0D%3Cbr%3EDjokovic%20v%20Zverev%0D%3Cbr%3ESabalenka%20v%20Rybakina%0D%3Cbr%3EEntertainment%3A%20Wizkid%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EDECEMBER%2021%20(6pm)%0D%3Cbr%3EFalcons%20v%20Eagles%0D%3Cbr%3EDjokovic%20v%20Kyrgios%0D%3Cbr%3EBadosa%20v%20Garcia%0D%3Cbr%3EEntertainment%3A%20Ne-Yo%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EDECEMBER%2022%20(6pm)%0D%3Cbr%3EHawks%20v%20Kites%0D%3Cbr%3EThiem%20v%20Aliassime%0D%3Cbr%3EKontaveit%20v%20Swiatek%0D%3Cbr%3EEntertainment%3A%20deadmau5%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EDECEMBER%2023%20(2pm)%0D%3Cbr%3EEagles%20v%20Hawks%0D%3Cbr%3EKyrgios%20v%20Zverev%0D%3Cbr%3EGarcia%20v%20Rybakina%0D%3Cbr%3EEntertainment%3A%20Mohammed%20Ramadan%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EDECEMBER%2023%20(6pm)%0D%3Cbr%3EFalcons%20v%20Kites%0D%3Cbr%3EDjokovic%20v%20Aliassime%0D%3Cbr%3ESabalenka%20v%20Swiatek%0D%3Cbr%3EEntertainment%3A%20Mohammed%20Ramadan%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EDECEMBER%2024%20(6pm)%0D%3Cbr%3EFinals%0D%3Cbr%3EEntertainment%3A%20Armin%20Van%20Buuren%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THREE
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Nayla%20Al%20Khaja%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Jefferson%20Hall%2C%20Faten%20Ahmed%2C%20Noura%20Alabed%2C%20Saud%20Alzarooni%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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.”
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
