As Chelsea have entered a new era of ownership, Roman Abramovich's footprint will remain. All his efforts into the club will be remembered for generations, however, can we say the same for his No. 2, Marina Granovskaia?
Todd Boehly's consortium has taken over Chelsea and there has been some movement on whether or not Granovskaia will have a future at the club. As the current director of Chelsea, she has completely broken the barriers and punched through the glass ceiling to become one of the most powerful women in football.
Football journalist Dean Jones expects decisions about her future to be made sooner rather than later. Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones discussed Granvoskaia's current position and future with Chelsea. He said: “I’m expecting some clarity on her situation soon. I was told that there might even be a statement in the next week or so over Granovskaia’s role at Chelsea, so it’ll be an interesting one. Largely, I think she’s done a really good job at Chelsea, but there have been some failures.
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“You go back and look at the [Romelu] Lukaku situation last summer, there were definitely some people around Chelsea that didn’t think that was a good idea, but Abramovich did and Granovskaia did and it hasn’t worked out. So it’ll be interesting to see which way that falls, but there’s certainly some doubt over whether she continues."
The announcement that chairman Bruce Buck was to leave his position didn't come as a surprise for many Chelsea fans. He takes on a new role as a senior advisor and his statement suggests that he is happy with such a position. He said: “The owners have a compelling vision for Chelsea’s future, and I look forward to helping them achieve it in this new role alongside our incredible staff, players, coaches and supporters.”
Now that Buck has stepped down from his chairman role, it looks likely that Granovskaia will be next. Multiple reports suggest that a decision on her future has already been made. I cannot imagine a situation where Chelsea's director accepts an advisory role, especially considering her extensive influence on the club's development since her arrival in 2003.
Since 2012, Granovskaia has been involved in Chelsea's transfer negotiations. Whilst she holds the nickname as "the Iron Lady" for her fantastically brutal negotiations in the transfer market, she also has some flaws in how she is perceived. Some fans have claimed that she is too rigid in her negotiations, which is arguably why the Blues have failed to sign players such as Virgil Van Dijk and Allison Becker in the past.
There are also questions around the way she handles fringe players. Frustrations have built regarding Chelsea's long-term relationship with players such as Michy Bathsuayi, Danny Drinkwater and Timoue Bakayoko. In hindsight, if we had just sold these players at the optimal time, the Blues probably wouldn't be in such a transfer crisis at the present day.
The truth is that Granovskaia has her flaws but Chelsea would probably have been less successful without her. Her negotiation tactics are unparalleled. Her most notable outgoing was being able to sell Alvaro Morata without making a loss. Also encouraging Real Madrid into a transfer for Eden Hazard in the last year of his contract was another masterstoke. She has been integral to Chelsea's relationship with SBV Vitesse and was also key in Chelsea's 15-year deal with Nike worth around £900 million.
Overall, there are positive and negative moments associated with Abramovich's No. 2. Now Boehly needs a negotiator that has a no-nonsense policy and can get the job done if and when Granovskaia departs.
