Russian director leaves Chelsea amid sweeping post-Abramovich changes

Chelsea has announced the departure of director Marina Granovskaia, one of the key figures in the Roman Abramovich era, while restructuring at Stamford Bridge continues under the club’s new American owners.

Reports over the past few days had prompted Granovskaia to give up her role and the Blues confirmed on Wednesday that she would exit amid a series of leadership changes.

New US owner Todd Boehly, part of the consortium that includes Clearlake Capital, which completed its acquisition last month, will step in until a full-time replacement for Granovskaia can be found.

“Boehly will serve as an interim sporting director until the club names a full-time replacement, continuing the club’s work towards its goals during the current transfer window,” it said in the statement.

“Chelsea FC and Ms. Granovskaia have agreed that she will be available to Boehly and the club for the duration of the current transfer window to the extent necessary to support the transition.”

Boehly added a thank you message to Granovskaia “for their many years of excellent service”, saying that Chelsea “I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”

The statement confirmed Boehly was appointed chairman of Chelsea’s board with immediate effect, while a number of other appointments were named, including members of the consortium that took over Stamford Bridge.

Granovskaia’s departure comes after it was announced this week that longtime Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck would step down from his role.

Both Buck and Granovskaia were integral figures during Russian billionaire Abramovich’s 19-year tenure as owner.

In particular, the Russian-Canadian Granovskaia has been widely described as managing the club on behalf of Abramovich in recent years.

In doing so, she earned a reputation as a highly respected player in the transfer and sponsorship business and was considered one of the most powerful women in world football.

A graduate of Moscow State University, Granovskaia was formally appointed to Chelsea’s board in 2013, having already served as Abramovich’s representative in London. She previously worked for the Russian billionaire at Sibneft and Millhouse Capital.

A rather enigmatic figure, Granovskaia rarely gave interviews but has been frequently spotted at player reveals after transfer deals have been finalized.

The 47-year-old was awarded the prestige last season “Best Club Director” in the European football award at the gold boy Awards organized by the Italian newspaper Tuttosport.

Elsewhere she was described as an “uncompromising but cultivated” Operator by those who have experience working with her.

Boehly and his partners at Clearlake Capital completed their £4.25 billion ($5.2 billion) takeover of Chelsea last month after Abramovich put the club up for sale in early March, shortly before he was relieved of the British government sanctioned for alleged links to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Under Abramovich, Chelsea enjoyed by far their most successful period in the club’s history, winning five Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns, among a host of other awards.

Boehly, who also co-owns the LA Dodgers baseball team, is already seen as taking a more hands-on approach to running the London club.

It should have been the 48-year-old directly involved in discussions about a loan move from Romelu Lukaku back to Inter Milan. The Belgium striker was undercharged for a club-record fee of almost £100million last season after returning to Stamford Bridge.

“We are happy about support [men’s manager] Thomas Tuchel, [women’s manager] Emma Hayes and her teams and will provide proactive, unyielding support to make Chelsea’s loyal fans and our partners proud,” it added.

Chelsea fans will hope support shifts up a gear now as they pursue key transfer targets for the new season.