Who is Marina Granovskaia from Chelsea? The strictly private business center | Football News

Who is Marina Granovskaia?

She has become one of the most powerful women of football, but who is the head of transfer of Chelsea, Marina Granovskaia?

The chief lieutenant of Roman Abramovich operates strictly in private. She has never given an interview to the media and even her occasional comments on the official website of Chelsea are very brief, but they leave no doubt about the extent of her authority.

When Marcos Alonso extended his contract at Stamford Bridge in October, that is Granovskaia that was quoted in the club's press release. The name of the director Maurizio Sarri was remarkable for his absence.

And on one occasion, she is in the limelight, it is rarely chosen and this week too, after Thibaut Courtois wanted to accuse her of going back on the promises that she had apparently made. that he would be allowed to leave last summer. .

Granovskaia was quoted when Marcos Alonso signed his new agreement with Chelsea last year

Wondering how Granovskaia has become part of the recent history of Chelsea? Continue reading …

Getting up in Chelsea

The Russian Canadian is a close ally of the owner Roman Abramovich for more than 20 years. They came into contact for the first time when she joined a Russian oil company that he had just acquired in 1997. When he sold it seven years later at a price almost 250 times higher than the purchase price, he had already taken control at Chelsea – and had brought Granovskaia to London with him. .

Over the next seven years, as she increased her influence at Stamford Bridge, the success was like a roller coaster. Two victories in the Premier League in the first three years of Abramovich and five appearances in the semifinals of the Champions League in the first six years, quickly allowed the club to win on the world stage.

Far from the trophies, Granovskaia was a long-term planner. She has reportedly been involved in establishing relations with Dutch speed club Arnhem, which to this day is fertile ground for most of Chelsea's young talents. She also orchestrated the move to the new Chelsea Training Center in Cobham, which opened in 2007 and is one of the best in the country.

Granovskaia had a major influence on the construction of the Chelsea Training Center in Cobham, which opened in 2007 after three years of planning

All this helped to consolidate her position at Stamford Bridge and she received the official role of representative of Abramovich in 2010. Three years later, she was sworn in on the board of directors of the club and, in 2017 she has demonstrated her fierce bargaining power by bringing Nike to £ 60 million. – a one-year sponsorship contract with Chelsea – until 2032.

How did she shape Chelsea's story?

Granovskaia's last word on transfers has not always been well received by Chelsea leaders. Antonio Conte has referred encryptedly to the "club" decisions sometimes of last season when he defended his own transfer record, and his successor, Sarri, said "the board knows what I want "when his pursuit of Gonzalo Higuain seemed chaotic at the beginning of last month.

Further back, various newspaper articles suggested that she was the conciliator between Jose Mourinho and Abramovich in 2013, which allowed the manager to return to Stamford Bridge, six years after feeling a personal humiliation after being threatened by the club owner.

Granovskaia and Mourinho – then manager of Manchester United – exchanged warm greetings after last season's FA Cup final

"It's basically power in Chelsea," a source quoted by the Standard evening said of her. "Roman implicitly trusts her, she is not interested in being a celebrity but there is no doubt who is in charge and who makes the decisions.

"It's a symbol of her role that she played a crucial role in Jose's return." He had quarreled with Roman in very acrimonious and public circumstances and had received a huge gain. "

Granovskaia has demonstrated its ability to orchestrate some of the largest Chelsea transfers in recent years. Winning Fernando Torres in Liverpool's hands in 2011, even for £ 50 million, was not a feat, neither of which was competing for the Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa, after scoring just one goal behind Lionel Messi in the 2013/14 scorecard.

Diego Costa was ripped off the nose of a number of rival bidders in 2014

Player agents and club representatives are used to dealing with Granovskaia for transfer cases, even when the technical director, Michael Emenalo, was still in post. This should say that the club was in no hurry to replace him after his resignation in late 2017 – more than a year later, his office is still empty.

Why is she in the news?

Conté might have given up Granovskaia, but goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois wanted to be more specific in defending his reasons for leaving the club last summer in a recent interview with the Belgian newspaper. HLN.

It is normal that the negotiation with Marina is difficult. Football players who talk about contracts, salaries, transfers, etc., which force players to dispose of and dispose of them, have the most difficult job.

"Only in March, Marina and I had a meeting during which I indicated that I wanted to leave." Living in London and the Premier League calendar prevented me from seeing my children, who were living, on a regular basis. to Madrid.

Thibaut Courtois left Stamford Bridge with less than a year to his contract last August

"Are you going to find something?" Marina m asked. & # 39; Be rebadured, & # 39; was my answer. "Okay, we'll let you go and we'll find a replacement."

Courtois would then go on strike before he could join Real Madrid on the day of the deadline, but his actions tarnished his reputation in a club where he had been the fan favorite a few months earlier.

In private, Sky sports understands that Chelsea is furious at the accusations of his former player and denies them vehemently – but do not expect a public response from Granovskaia anytime soon.

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