agencies
Posted on: Saturday, March 5, 2022 – 1:12 AM | Last update: Saturday 5 March 2022 – 1:31 AM
A British press report revealed that Chelsea CEO Marina Granovskaya might continue in her position, following the departure of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich from the club.
In a statement last Wednesday, Abramovich announced his intention to sell the champions Chelsea, days following he came under pressure over the Russian military operation in Ukraine.
And the English newspaper “Telegraph” indicated that Marina Granovskaya, who holds Canadian and Canadian citizenship, can continue to work following the sale of Chelsea FC, and that potential buyers will be open to cooperation with Granovskaya, in the event that Roman Abramovich breaks business relations.
The newspaper said that potential new Chelsea owners are aware of how highly valued Granovskaya is in the world of football, and believe that her departure would be a great loss for the club.
She indicated that with the departure of Granovskaya, the position of German coach Thomas Tuchel, who has developed a close working relationship with the Chelsea manager, will suffer greatly, as the coach is communicating with her directly and with the Czech “technical” sports advisor Petr Cech, the former goalkeeper of the “Blues”.
Thomas Tuchel admitted that he cannot imagine the club without its owner Roman Abramovich, during a press conference held last Wednesday, in which he said: “It is too early to talk regarding this (selling Chelsea), because I cannot imagine this club without Abramovich, and therefore this is difficult. For me, of course, it’s a huge change.”
Tuchel indicated that he is aware of the effects that Abramovich’s decision to sell the club will have, but he is not worried, saying, “I do not know the secrets of things, I am not the CEO or a member of the board of directors, but I am confident that the management will talk regarding the matter with me and the players.”
“I’m not worried because I still feel that being here is an advantage for me. I’m not someone who worries regarding things I can’t influence,” he added.
The German coach concluded his statements, saying: “It is huge news, the change will be great, but I am not afraid of it, and my focus will be on what I can influence, which is the technical staff and the team.”
According to the “Telegraph”, the investors do not believe that Granovskaya’s continued work with the club will create political difficulties for them, they realize that the embarrassment will only be from the length of time she has cooperated with Abramovich. Therefore, the CEO’s future will be decided by her willingness or unwillingness to sever professional ties with the previous owner. It is assumed that they will not make hasty decisions and will wait for the arrival of new owners to assess the situation.
And the newspaper reported, that sources close to Granovskaya are convinced that she will not work in another English club.
While other local press reports revealed that Roman Abramovich will step down from the presidency and ownership of Chelsea FC, other changes in the management of the London club will follow.
And the British newspaper, “Football London”, confirmed that it is unlikely that Marina Granovskaya will remain in her position, once Roman Abramovich completes the deal to sell Chelsea.
In addition to Maria Granovskaya, who was considered the right arm of Roman Abramovich and the mastermind of the club, there is also Bruce Burke, Chairman of the Board of Directors, as the duo have been hugely influential figures in Chelsea’s successes over recent years, and have formed an essential part of Abramovich’s management.
The duo Granovskaya and Burke ran the club, with Abramovich not entering London in the past few years due to legal problems with the Russian billionaire.
And the British newspaper, “Telegraph”, reported that parties interested in buying Chelsea were invited to submit their offers by March 15, noting that offers are expected to be submitted this week.
The newspaper confirmed that Egyptian businessman Lotfi Mansour, CEO of “Man Capital”, the investment arm of Mansour’s trading group affiliated with his distinguished family, is among those interested in buying the English club.
The newspaper added, quoting its own sources, that the 33-year-old Mansour, who holds a season ticket to attend the Chelsea matches at Stamford Bridge, is believed to make an offer to buy the Blues.
Media reports had also revealed the desire of Swiss businessman Hans-Jorg Wiese and American billionaire Todd Boehle to buy Chelsea FC in a deal of no less than $4 billion.
Abramovich, 55, bought Chelsea Football Club in 2003 for 140 million pounds (regarding $233 million at the time) from former English owner Ken Bates.
Chelsea, during Abramovich’s administration, won the Premier League title five times, the FA Cup three times, the League Cup twice, the Super Cup twice, the European Champions League twice (2012, 2021) and the European League twice (2013, 2019), in addition to winning European Super Cup 2021 and FIFA Club World Cup 2022.