Chelsea announces the departure of Marina Granovskaia; owner Todd Boehly to take over as Interim Sporting Director
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Many people were surprised by Marina Granovskaia and Bruce Buck’s departures from Chelsea, as both had hoped to stay until the end of the summer. Buck will step down as chairman on June 30, with new owner Todd Boehly taking his place, and Granovskaia’s departure from the club was later confirmed on Wednesday morning.
Buck will remain at the club as a ‘senior advisor’ in the future, while Granovskaia will be available to Chelsea for the remainder of the summer window, though Boehly has been named interim sporting director as the search for a full-time replacement begins.
According to the Daily Mail, Buck expressed a desire to remain chairman, and Granovskaia offered to formalize her departure in the summer, but the decision to cut ties with both was made almost immediately.
The pair had agreed to a £50 million payment package with Boehly for their work on the sale, but a significant portion of that was contingent on their continued employment at the club beyond this summer, so neither will receive the full amount.
‘We thank Marina for her many years of excellent service to the Club and wish her all the best in her future ventures,’ said club owner Boehly in the latest official statement released by Chelsea Football Club.
Chelsea’s head of transfers Marina Granovskaia was behind the club’s important transfers as well as contract renewals
Granovskaia, Chelsea’s head of transfers, has been instrumental in the club’s incredible success over the years, with the Russian business executive masterminding many of the club’s most important transfers as well as contract renewals.
One of Granovskaia’s most notable characteristics was her ability to secure massive transfer fees for players regardless of their previous season’s performance or their actual transfer valuation. Diego Costa, David Luiz and Alvaro Morata are fine examples of having fallen out of favour with their managers but still demanding astronomical fees with Chelsea making a profit on both the striker.
Beating Arsenal to the acquisition of then Leicester midfielder Ngolo Kante at £30m will go down as a shrewd bit of business from Granovskaia. Typing down youngsters with high potentials such as Mason Mount, Reece James, Trevor Chalobah and many more has proved vital to Chelsea’s success in recent years.
Last but not the least, the sale of fan favourite Eden Hazard with the attacker leaving the Blues in 2019 for a club-record £150m. Whilst seeing the attacker leave was tough to see, Chelsea are the clear winners from the deal three years after the announcement, with Hazard yet to get going in Madrid as injuries have plagued the attacker’s spell in the Spanish capital, with an exit reportedly on the cards.
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