Marina Granovskaia returns to Chelsea following the acquisition by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
It has been alleged that former Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia has made two returns to the club in the past year, following her departure from the Blues in the summer of 2022.
The Russian-Canadian business executive joined the club in 2010 and the board in 2013, serving as a board member for eight years before being designated director in 2014.
Granovskaia was often in command of transfer business and contract renewals, with plenty of debate over the deals she conducted.
Granovskaia received the award for Best Director in 2021, following Chelsea’s Champions League victory.
In the subsequent months, however, everything would alter as the club entered a period of turmoil.
As a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK government sanctioned Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich for alleged affiliations to Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin, which he denies.
The club was placed under special sporting regulations by the government, and Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital eventually formed a consortium to acquire it.
This resulted in numerous changes from top to bottom as they sought to completely redesign the model.
As a member of Chelsea’s hierarchy with a close relationship to Abramovich, Granovskaia was one of the casualties of such change as she was terminated.
In an email sent to an admirer the previous year, she apologized for the delay in responding: “It has been a very hectic week.
“Thank you for your thoughtful message and for reaching out to me; it matters a great deal.
I am obviously very sad to be leaving the Club that has been such an important part of my life for the past 20 years, but I will carry with me the wonderful memories we shared together and the amazing people I met along the way.
Again, thank you for writing; I am truly appreciative. Best regards, The Marina.”
Since then, Granovskaia has made two trips back to Chelsea, with the most recent being Saturday’s Chelsea legends game at Stamford Bridge in honor of Gianluca Vialli.
According to the Telegraph, neither visit was in response to an invitation from the new ownership.
It remains to be seen what Granovskaia will do next, whether in football or elsewhere.
Marina Granovskaia returns to Chelsea following the acquisition by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.