Ronald Koeman needs to know sooner rather than later whether Toby Alderweireld, Ryan Bertrand and Nathaniel Clyne will commit their future to Southampton.
The club, placed third in the Premier League, know all too well what can happen when a club their size flourish, having experienced an unparalleled talent drain last summer.
Champions League qualification would surely avoid such a scenario this time around, although Koeman has highlighted the importance of tying down their key assets before the end of the campaign.
Bertrand and Alderweireld have been tremendous since joining on season-long loan deals from Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, respectively, and Saints have the option to make both moves permanent.
“We would like to know fast what the player likes, if there is any possibility to buy that player, and that’s in the case of Ryan and Toby,” manager Koeman said.
“Of course, we don’t put exactly a deadline on it but we would like to know it soon what the plans are of the players.
“If it is yes and we can do the deal, then fantastic.
“If not, okay, then we need other players or we have to think about, that we have players in the Under 21s who can play in those positions.
“I think that it is important that the club is growing, the team is doing very well and the players are very happy.
“They have got the possibility to play in the case of Ryan and Toby. I think we have good possibilities to sign them players.”
It is not just those on loan that Koeman needs to persuade to stay, with several key players approaching the end of their contracts.
The Dutchman has given Jack Cork a week to extend his deal past the end of the season, while he is aware that Jay Rodriguez and Clyne are amongst those out of contract next year.
The former’s recovery from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament lessens the need for that deal to be struck, although getting England right-back Clyne to promptly sign a new contract is key.
“Yeah, [we are still waiting to hear],” he said of the extension offered to Clyne.
“It is a little bit the same as we would like to know what the player is doing because it all influences the plans with what we would like to do.
“They are important players in the club, like in the case of Jack Cork, as well as Toby, Ryan and Clyney.
“We try to do our maximum to keep these players because they are good players and still at a good age to develop.
“This month? No [we don’t expect an answer from them]. We don’t make that pressure on the players, but they can’t wait until April.
“In-between the end of the month and April, there is time, but I think it is a little bit of loyalty between player and club.
“Okay, we hope that they will stay but we respect every decision and we would like to know it.”
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Monday's results
- UAE beat Bahrain by 51 runs
- Qatar beat Maldives by 44 runs
- Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait by seven wickets
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Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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Calvin Harris
Columbia
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.”
