Listed as the fifth most powerful woman of international sports in 2018, Marina Granovskaia, the footballing director at Chelsea FC, has recently come under fire from many concerned Blues fans. Why, though?
The Infamous: Marina Granovskaia
Transfer Business
Some may say ‘frustrating’. Since becoming the chief director, Granovskaia amassed herself as a director who is unable to back the manager of the club. Let’s take it back to the January of 2018.
Antonio Conte was in desperate need for a new left-back. He targeted the likes of Alex Sandro, the £50 million-rated man. Marina, however, decided to opt for Emerson Palmieri, the much cheaper option, who has had very little impact since then. These types of transfers have led to a small downfall of Chelsea Football Club.
Previously labelled as an ambitious club, just 10 years ago Chelsea were at the top of the European pyramid. With transfer business like this though, the West London club are now struggling for consistent domestic success, with some blame attached to Granovskaia.
The Solution?
In short, there isn’t one. Not right now, anyway. Roman Abramovich is dealing with his own personal problems. It has been recently rumoured that Abramovich is looking to sell Chelsea to American owners, which could explain the uprise in commercial signings such as Pulisic, in order to appeal to the American market.
Right now, it would be difficult to be rid of Granovskaia under the current state of ownership. However, is this the answer? Other than the slow business in the transfer market and the slight inability to deliver what the manager is looking for, some things that Granovskaia has done has to be commended in some way.
The Positives?
Outside of the transfer market, her ability to broker sponsorship deals with clients is almost second to none. She was the driving force in providing £60 million to the club every year until 2032 through the sponsorship with Nike.
However, this further supports the idea that Chelsea have become more of a corporate business than a football club. Granovskaia is excellent at generating the income needed for a successful football club, but the outflow of cash has been significantly inadequate. With deals dragging on and years of panic buys, surely it can only be up from here?
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