Portuguese midfielder Andres Gomes has described his time so far at Barcelona as "hell", revealing that his struggles on the pitch have left him not wanting to leave the house.
Gomes, 24, signed from Valencia in July 2016 for €35 million (Dh158m), plus a potential €20m in add-ons, but has struggled since arriving at the Camp Nou, scoring only three goals in 72 appearances in all competitions.
Although manager Ernesto Valverde and predecessor Luis Enrique have defended Gomes, the Portugal international is regularly criticised in the media and whistled by his own supporters.
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"Maybe it's not the best word but (life at Barca) has become a bit of a hell, because I started to feel the pressure," Gomes told Panenka magazine.
"The feeling that I have during games is bad. Thinking too much hurts me, because I think about the bad things. Although my teammates support me a lot, things don't go for me how they want them to go."
Gomes, who has started only four games in the league this season, admitted that even beyond the pitch his life has been affected by his form.
"On more than one occasion I have not wanted to leave the house. People look at you and I'm afraid to walk in the street out of shame," he said.
Gomes was jeered by Barcelona fans during the 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid on March 4 after coming on as a substitute for the injured Andres Iniesta.
Should the captain remain sidelined, Gomes could be the replacement on Wednesday in the Uefa Champions League last 16 second leg against Chelsea.
However, Iniesta took part in some of the session with the rest of Barca first team, boosting hopes he could be in line for a return.
"There was further good news as Andres Iniesta, who has been out with a hamstring injury sustained against Atletico Madrid, was able to join the rest of the group for part of today's routine," a Barcelona statement read.
Also absent from the victory on Saturday was Lionel Messi, who was attending the birth of his son Ciro, but the striker is expected back against Chelsea.
Messi trained on Monday and, in celebration of the arrival of his third child, he was given a round of applauds by his team-mates.
The Details
Article 15
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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.”
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