Granovskaia follows Buck out of Chelsea as part of major overhaul

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia will be leaving the club as part of the new overhaul of management staff by the incoming ownership group headed by Todd Boehly, who will take over as interim sporting director and chairman of the board.

Granovskaia, who is central to all of Chelsea’s transfer dealings, has been a decision-maker at Stamford Bridge for the past 12 years and had close ties to former team owner Roman Abramovich, having worked for him as far back as 1997 at an oil company owned by the Russian businessman.

Last year she was named ‘Best Club Director in European football’ at the Golden Boy awards, but she will be part of a boardroom clean-out that includes the departure of chairman Bruce Buck.

Boehly, who completed a £4.25billion takeover of Chelsea at the end of May, has been placed in temporary charge of overseeing incoming and outgoing transfers.

Chelsea confirmed the news on their official website on Wednesday and added that Granovskaia will remain available to Boehly for the duration of the current transfer window to help with the transitional period.

“We thank Marina for her many years of excellent service to the club and wish her all the best in her future ventures,” Boehly added in the statement.