Tim Sherwood last managed in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the 2013/14 season. Sang Tan / AP
Tim Sherwood last managed in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the 2013/14 season. Sang Tan / AP
Tim Sherwood last managed in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the 2013/14 season. Sang Tan / AP
Tim Sherwood last managed in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the 2013/14 season. Sang Tan / AP

Sport

Tim Sherwood and Real Madrid assistant Paul Clement on Aston Villa shortlist

With the sacking of Paul Lambert on Wednesday night, Aston Villa have begun their search for a coach to lead them in their relegation fight.

Press Association

February 12, 2015

  • English
  • Arabic

Aston Villa are starting their search for a new manager following Wednesday evening's departure of Paul Lambert.

The Scot paid the price for the club's plunge into the Premier League relegation zone, despite signing a contract extension after a good start to the season in September.

However, Villa’s form quickly deteriorated and included a dismal run of 659 minutes without a top-flight goal. It ended against Chelsea on Saturday but Tuesday’s loss at Hull City saw them drop into the bottom three.

It is believed that Lambert was dismissed, rather than departing by mutual consent. Press Association Sport also understands he will receive a pay-off amounting to one year’s salary.

The 45-year-old faced increasing signs of unrest from supporters, while the Birmingham Mail launched a campaign calling for Lambert's removal just hours before the club announced his departure.

A statement on the club’s official website said: “Aston Villa Football Club has parted company this evening with manager Paul Lambert.

“First-team coach Scott Marshall and goalkeeping coach Andy Marshall will continue to prepare the squad for Sunday’s FA Cup tie with Leicester City at Villa Park.

“The club would also like to place on record its thanks to Paul and take this opportunity to wish him every success in the future.

“The club will announce a new manager in due course. There will be no further comment from the club at this stage.”

Lambert replaced fellow Scot Alex McLeish in June 2012 but struggled to win over supporters who were slow to warm to what many perceived as a negative style of play.

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood, current Real Madrid assistant Paul Clement and United States head coach Jurgen Klinsmann are considered among the favourites to replace Lambert, as owner Randy Lerner begins the search for a new boss.

Meanwhile, former striker Peter Withe has offered to help out Villa as they seek the right candidate to lift them out of danger.

Withe, who scored Villa’s winner in the 1982 European Cup final against Bayern Munich and has had a varied career in management including spells with Wimbledon, Thailand and Indonesia, said: “I will help them for nothing.

“I think they’ve got to get someone who has a feel for the club and can bring the fans back and also just inspire the players a little bit.”

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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.

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