Massimiliano Allegri has been linked with the Chelsea vacancy. Marco Bertorello / AFP
Massimiliano Allegri has been linked with the Chelsea vacancy. Marco Bertorello / AFP

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‘I feel good here’ states Juventus coach Allegri amid reports over Chelsea role

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has played down reports he could become Chelsea's next full-time manager, following the sacking of Jose Mourinho earlier this season.

Agence France Presse

January 23, 2016

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has played down reports he could become Chelsea’s next full-time manager, following the sacking of Jose Mourinho earlier this season.

Allegri, who steered Juve to a league and Cup double last season, as well as the Uefa Champions League final, was linked to the struggling Premier League giants in tabloid reports on Saturday.

The Sun newspaper claimed Chelsea have already made contact with the Juve coach and his representatives and that he is keen to join.

Speaking to the media a day ahead of his side’s Serie A clash at home to Roma, Allegri said: “My thoughts are on the championship, the Italian Cup and the Champions League. I have a contract with the club until 2017 and I feel good here.”

PREVIEW: With Mourinho gone, Arsene Wenger focuses on 'quality of players' for Chelsea

Asked what it felt like to be linked to the Chelsea job currently held by caretaker coach Guus Hiddink, he said: “It feels normal. When you coach a team like Juventus, that’s the way it is.

“But I’m fine here and it’s only normal that my focus is on what I have to do here.”

Allegri, however, is known to be curious about a move to the Premier League and he has been learning English in recent years.

Despite being considered an unpopular choice when he was appointed successor to Antonio Conte ahead of last season, the 48-year-old soon won over his detractors.

In his first season in charge, Allegri took a different approach to Conte, whose main focus during a successful three-year tenure was on record-setting championship wins and making progress in the Champions League.

Under Allegri, Juve have spread their efforts over the league and Cup, as well as in Europe, leading to the club’s first league and Cup double in 20 years last season.

While Conte failed to get Juve past the quarter-final stages in Europe, Allegri ended the club’s 12-year wait to appear in the Champions League final when they ousted Real Madrid in the semi-finals.

Juve were outclassed 3-1 by Barcelona in the title encounter, but the fans were won over.

Juve had a disastrous start to their title defence this season but have since secured 10 consecutive wins to sit just two points behind leaders Napoli ahead of thew weekend matches.

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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.

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Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

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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.

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