Marina Granovskaia to quit as Chelsea director; Todd Boehly to fill in temporarily
Marina Granovskaia has been dealing with Chelsea transfers since 2010. More than a decade later, she will step down, with new owner Todd Boehly to take over the position temporarily.
FollowAs American businessman Todd Boehly has completed his takeover of Chelsea, almost a month later, the club's director Marina Granovskaia will be stepping down from the role. The club announced the same on Tuesday. She happened to be Chelsea's former owner, Roman Abramovich's personal assistant since 1997 before joining the club in 2010. Since then, she has handled The Blues' transfer signing and contractual dealing while she was dubbed as one of the toughest negotiators in football. In the meantime, Boehly will be taking over the role for now, while Granovskaia will be there to support him during the ongoing transfer window.
"We thank Marina for her many years of excellent service to the club and wish her all the best in her future ventures," Boehly said in an official club statement. Chelsea also announced the departure of chairman Bruce Buck on Monday. "I am proud to have helped Chelsea realize great success on the pitch and make a positive impact in the community," Buck had said.
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On Buck's departure, Boehly quoted, "Bruce has led Chelsea Football Club to the highest levels of international and domestic football, while also developing one of the most active social responsibility projects in sport. We thank Bruce for his service and his commitment to the club."
Meanwhile, as Chelsea's sporting director, Boehly is expected to play a crucial role in allowing Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku to join Italian giants Inter Milan on loan. The Blues decided to let him go after talks between Boehly and head coach Thomas Tuchel and Boehly and the club players. The club wanted to sort out the Lukaku saga to focus on further strengthening the club for the upcoming season.
