Liverpool // Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Swansea should stick with their under-pressure manager Garry Monk.
Klopp’s side moved into the Premier League’s top six with a nervy 1-0 victory over the Swans at Anfield.
The result means that Monk’s side, who were fourth at the end of August, are only four points above the relegation zone after winning just one of their last 10 league matches.
That has led to suggestions that the Swansea manager’s job is under threat, despite the fact that he led them to eighth place last season -- their highest league finish since 1982.
“Nothing much in football surprises me to be honest. But I would say I’d be surprised if it is the right decision to criticise him because his team plays very well,” said Klopp.
“They showed a good reaction against us following their recent results.
“I’m not sure what level Swansea wanted to reach before the season started but for this team I see no problem in the league. They will play a good role over the remainder of the season, I’m sure.”
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Despite Klopp’s endorsement, Swansea failed to record a single shot on target at Anfield as they lost to James Milner’s 62nd-minute penalty.
Monk, though, believes his team’s spirited performance was evidence that his players remain firmly behind him.
“There’s never been a doubt about that. Anyone who suggests otherwise would be a very stupid person,” said Monk.
“But the results are the be-all and end-all. We have to get results very quickly and we have to get points on the board very quickly.
“But if you perform like that, if you have those principles and that work ethic, that will happen.
“I thought we were excellent with the ball too, very fluid -- you could sense the crowd were getting frustrated.”
Milner converted the spot-kick, which was awarded on the word of a linesman after left-back Neil Taylor was judged to have handled Jordon Ibe’s cross.
Referee Anthony Taylor missed the offence, and Monk thought it was a controversial decision.
“We were never in any danger. Those players deserved a lot more than they got,” insisted the Swansea manager.
“I thought it was an extremely soft penalty. To lose the game on a decision that’s out of our hands is very disappointing.
“I’m not making any excuses, but part of the problem is that those decisions you need to go for you have gone against us.
“But the results are my responsibility. The results haven’t been good enough, but that didn’t look like a team in trouble, did it?”
Klopp welcomed back captain Jordan Henderson and striker Daniel Sturridge from injury, as both players made second-half substitute appearances.
He is hopeful that playmaker Philippe Coutinho, who missed the match with a hamstring problem, will be fit for Wednesday’s League Cup quarter-final trip to Southampton.
“I think that Philippe has a chance for Wednesday. He had a very intensive training session yesterday,” said Klopp.
“We decided two or three days ago that we didn’t want to risk him for Swansea.
“But now I think he is fit, but I will talk tomorrow with him. I think he is ready.”
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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: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
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Install an air filter in your home.
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Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 6 (McTominay 2', 3'; Fernandes 20', 70' pen; Lindelof 37'; James 65')
Leeds United 2 (Cooper 41'; Dallas 73')
Man of the match: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
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Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
Andor
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Usain Bolt's World Championships record
2007 Osaka
200m Silver
4x100m relay Silver
2009 Berlin
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2011 Daegu
100m Disqualified in final for false start
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2013 Moscow
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2015 Beijing
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
