Chelsea confirm Marina Granovskaia to leave club as Todd Boehly takes on key role
Granovskaia will follow chairman Bruce Buck out the door this summer
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Chelsea have confirmed that Marina Granovskaia will leave her role as sporting director this summer as the major overhaul at the club continues following the announcement that Bruce Buck will also stand down as chairman.
New co-owner Todd Boehly replaces Buck following the purchase of the club from Roman Abramovich, with the American now taking the lead in negotiations in the transfer market too as interim sporting director .
Boehly is understood to have been key in the negotiations for Romelu Lukaku’s return to Inter Milan on loan. The new co-controlling owner has been confirmed as the Stamford Bridge club’s new chairman, replacing Buck.
Granovskaia had “acted as a representative of the owner at the club and in support of the board of directors” since 2010 and was appointed to the board in 2013 when she took charge of transfer and contract negotiations.
The Russian, who began working for Abramovich in 1997 at Sibneft, the oil company he previously owned, reportedly earned a bonus for helping to facilitate the sale of the club to the Boehly-led consortium.
"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 upon the announcement.
The news comes as all the top Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium figureheads have been added to Chelsea’s new board, as the west London club’s new era continues to gather pace.
“As custodians of Chelsea FC, we now begin executing our long-term vision and plan for the club, creating an outstanding experience for its passionate, loyal fans, and continuing to challenge for top honours in line with Chelsea FC’s dedicated history,” said Boehly.
“Working together, side by side, we are firmly committed to winning, both on and off the pitch. For us, that effort has begun.”
Clearlake chiefs and Chelsea co-controlling owners Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano have also been added to the Blues' new board.
Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter, Swiss magnate Hansjorg Wyss and British tycoon Jonathan Goldstein have all been officially named on the Chelsea board.
Music industry supremo Barbara Charone and Tory peer and columnist Daniel Finkelstein have also been added to the board, along with Clearlake Capital partner James Pade.
"As the new era of the Boehly-Clearlake ownership begins, we are excited to build a championship organisation and grow Chelsea FC as a global platform," said Eghbali and Feliciano.
"We look forward to backing Thomas Tuchel, Emma Hayes and their teams, and will provide proactive, unbending support to make Chelsea's loyal fans and our partners proud."
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