MK Dons will have to show the belief of former player Dele Alli when Chelsea visit in Sunday's FA Cup fourth round.
The Dons are mired in a fight for their Championship future as they prepare to play the Premier League champions in a first competitive fixture.
Karl Robinson's side have recent pedigree in cup competitions, having knocked Manchester United out of the League Cup last season, and believe they can take heart from the meteoric rise of Alli, who has thrived since moving to Tottenham Hotspur from Milton Keynes last summer.
Alli has refused to be cowed by more established Premier League stars with Spurs and midfielder Darren Potter says MK Dons must treat Chelsea as equals, too.
Potter said: “Dele’s a prodigious talent. He’s shown his fearlessness already.
Read more: Greg Lea on how Toby Alderweireld's something else gives Spurs their spine
“I don’t think the ability and the composure of the lad comes as any surprise to anybody that knows him here, just how rapidly he’s risen to play for England and score his first goal.
“We have to respect Chelsea as much as possible. We’re also on a level playing field when we go out there, so we’ll be doing everything we can to try to get a result.”
Robinson reckons scouts are circling after the performances of Alli and Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy in the top flight this season, following their emergence from the lower leagues.
“There are some really talented individuals knocking around,” said Robinson, whose side were promoted to the Championship last term.
“It’s an element which has been overlooked for a few years and maybe people are taking note at the moment.”
Asked if MK Dons have another Alli in their midst, Robinson said: “If we had, our chairman (Pete Winkelman) would be doing cartwheels.
“We always knew that we had a very talented individual on our hands. He’s just gone on from strength to strength and become a top, top player.”
MK Dons have work to do to preserve their Championship status. They lost 3-1 to Bolton Wanderers last Saturday and are just two points clear of the relegation zone.
“We understand we’ll be climbing a mountain, we understand we’re certainly the underdogs, by a long way, but the FA Cup has thrown in a few strange results before, so you just don’t know,” Robinson added.
Arguably the biggest upset in recent history was Bradford City’s 4-2 win over Chelsea at the same stage last season, when the League One side came from 2-0 down to win at Stamford Bridge against the future Premier League champions.
Chelsea have lurched from one crisis to another this season, but there are signs of stability under interim manager Guus Hiddink, who replaced Jose Mourinho last month and steered the team to victory at title-chasing Arsenal last Sunday as part of an eight-match unbeaten run.
Robinson will take confidence from the United win and encourage his players to execute his game plan in a contest where MK Dons have nothing to lose.
“We know if they’re at their best they can beat anybody in the world,” Robinson added.
“It’s a free game, to an extent, and a wonderful experience as well. It’s very rare you go into a game just to be able to enjoy it.”
Striker Nicky Maynard (hamstring) is a major doubt, while Matthew Upson (hamstring), Ben Reeves (thigh) and Carl Baker (ankle) are out.
George Baldock has returned following his loan spell at Oxford, but is cup-tied after featuring in their win over Swansea.
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Desert Warrior
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Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
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.”
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Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
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Favorite food: seafood
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