Marina Granovskaia has gained huge respect across the footballing world for her ‘uncompromising’ nature as Chelsea director.
The Russian-Canadian, has been on the club’s board since 2013, and has been running operations for a number of years with Roman Abramovich having stayed away after visa issues.
In a profile by L’Equipe, it’s revealed that negotiators from other teams thought they would have it easy when dealing with Granovskaia. But it has proven to be anything but.
A workaholic, she is reported to do business at ‘impossible hours’, And it’s claimed that she never backs down on what she wants, no matter the person she is dealing with.
Granovskaia has even taken on super agent Mino Raiola, with the duo having ‘clashed’ in the past.
The Chelsea director likes to get her business done on WhatsApp, and gained even extra plaudits for her handling of Chelsea’s Eden Hazard situation.
Real Madrid were desperate to land the Belgium international in 2018, and felt well placed to do so when he was on the verge of entering the last year of his contract.
Granovskaia refused to budge, however, and managed to land an incredible package worth a total of around £134m for the club’s star man.
She has known Abramovich since 1997 – when she became his personal assistant at an oil company Sibneft. And six years later she was brought to London, when her boss purchased Chelsea.
She has since worked her way up and has become a popular figure at Stamford Bridge – in addition to being one of Abramovich’s closest allies.
Lille president Olivier Letang once described her by saying: “When you know her, you discover someone nice, funny and very cultured.”
She was even named by The Times as the fifth most powerful woman in sport in 2018. Granovskaia is said to enjoy ‘working under the radar’.
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But she has become a more popular figure in recent years, regularly posing with players as they agree on contract renewals.
