Roger Johnson's split loyalties

So commanding and courageous have been the performances of Roger Johnson this season that there is a Facebook group dedicated to help him gain an England place. There are 2, 220 members and counting. But, irrespective of the numbers, one man's opinion will ultimately matter. Like Bobby Zamora at Fulham, the Birmingham central defender is an unsung, unfashionable player who Fabio Capello, the England team manager, has been urged to consider.

Johnson, 26, has been a model of consistency since his club's return to the top flight. His partnership with Scott Dann is one of the main reasons why Birmingham have only conceded five goals at home and they have developed a telepathic understanding since being signed in the summer from Cardiff and Coventry respec- tively. Alex McLeish, the Birmingham manager, saw their potential in the Championship and has proved an astute judge of quality and character.

Wholehearted and no nonsense in their style, Johnson and Dann are Birmingham's backbone and prompted McLeish to compare them with formidable defensive partnerships of the past, such as Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson at Liverpool and his own with Willie Miller for Aberdeen and Scotland. "These guys are showing signs of phenomenal consistency," said McLeish. "They've just got to keep playing at the same level, and they will get recognised [internationally] if they do it for a long time and consistently well."

Today's clash with the rampant Didier Drogba will be a timely test of their credentials. As a youngster, Johnson was a Chelsea season-ticket holder and still attends their home Champions League games when possible. Johnson has studies footage of Chelsea captain John Terry. "He is a great player and, if I can emulate anything he has achieved, it will be good," Johnson said. Johnson will also hope to avoid upsetting his family if Chelsea's recent poor run, which stands at one win in six, continues today.

"My dad is a Chelsea fan, as are my brothers, and even my mum, who was a Manchester United fan until she met my dad, follows them," he added. "It would be great to beat a team of the quality of Chelsea, although I'm not sure most of my family would ever forgive me." If it helps him towards an England call-up, they probably will. akhan@thenational.ae Birmingham v Chelsea, KO 4.45pm, Showsports 1&2

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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.”

Roger Johnson's split loyalties

The Birmingham central defender is an unsung, unfashionable player who Fabio Capello, the England team manager, has been urged to consider.

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