Marina Granovskaia can’t expect future at Chelsea, despite obvious benefits | OneFootball

All four of the groups still in the running to buy Chelsea are keen on keeping club director Marina Granovskaia at the club in some capacity, according to widespread reports today.

It’s easy to see why – she’s been in the position for a long time now, and has built up a reputation as one of the most fearsome negotiators at the top level of European football. There are few people around with her skills and experience, and she knows the club inside out.

The question is not whether she would be valuable to a new owner – there can be little doubting that. The real issue is whether she is too tainted by her association with Roman Abramovich to stay on, while he is ousted thanks to some pretty clear cut ties and long-standing ties to a man orchestrating the invasion of Ukraine.

Granovskaia bears no responsibility for any of that – but her past is so inextricably entwined with Abramovich it’s hard to see how she can avoid being dragged down by his messy exit.