Granovskaia ready for final Chelsea transfer window as preferred sporting director successor named
Marina Granovskaia could be about to oversee her final summer transfer window at the Chelsea helm, according to reports.
Chelsea are under new ownership following a takeover led by Todd Boehly. It means they can begin planning for an important summer on and off the pitch. In turn, the Roman Abramovich era has ended.
There will still be several signs of Abramovich’s reign at the club, though. For example, he worked closely with Granovskaia, who has been employed by the club since 2010.
She has been Chelsea’s chief executive since 2014. In the time since, she has carried many responsibilities at the club.
Her approach in the transfer market has earned appreciation. In fact, in December, she won the honour of the Best Club Director in European football at the Golden Boy Awards ceremony.
However, Chelsea may not benefit from her expertise for much longer. According to Bild, Granovskaia will be leaving the club in August. She is said to have made the decision of her own accord.
Therefore, she will be involved in one last transfer window for Chelsea. Among her key negotiations will be finding deals for new defenders to replace the likes of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
There could also be the responsibility of overseeing a departure for last summer’s record signing Romelu Lukaku. He is a target back at Inter Milan, but only for by the end of June.
Chelsea identify Granovskaia replacement
When it comes to August, it will be time for Granovskaia to vacate her position. Chelsea, in turn, already have an idea of who to replace her with.
Bild claim their preferred candidate would be Andrea Berta. The Italian was a technical director at Atletico Madrid from 2013 to 2017, before switching to the role of sporting director.
Berta remains in that position to this day. The 50-year-old has been a key figure in an era of success for the side from the Spanish capital, alongside head coach Diego Simeone.
Berta has never held a job in the Premier League, but has been tipped to fill an English vacancy before. Now, Chelsea may be able to offer him such an opportunity as and when Granovskaia leaves.