Left Drogba, returned Mourinho and spent 140 million euros on Real Madrid on Eden Hazard
Granovskaya.
"Tough, but fair"
Photo:
Gettyimages
Tonight's Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Chelsea was supposed to be the big meeting between Eden Hazard and the ex from London.
These were at least the Blancos' big plans when they acquired the Tsar from the Blues in the summer of 2019, but plans aside and reality aside.
The Belgian star did not acclimatize in Madrid, "contributing" to it nine injuries that led to absences from 58 games, to which was added the corona in which he fell ill.
Hazar played 162 minutes in the Champions League this season and tonight he is also expected to be a marginal figure.
Therefore, this is an opportunity to present the one who sold, or rather, the one who sold him to Real for 140 million euros with only one year left on his contract: Marina Granovskaya.
For a decade, every document related to Chelsea has Granovskaya's signature - player transfers, coach appointments, sponsorship deals, advertising contracts.
In the corner of each page is the name of the so-called "strongest woman in the world of football" and "Iron Woman".
Roman Abramovich is responsible for the upheaval Chelsea have undergone in the last two decades, which included winning local and international titles, but it is clear he was not alone.
To many, the real revolution is Granovskaya.
At the age of 46, the Canadian-Russian businesswoman is Abramovich's right-hand man and the club's most prominent decision-maker.
Marina, a native of Moscow, began working in 1997 for Sibneft, a company owned by Roman Abramovich, and from there it was all history.
In 2003 she came with him to London, in 2010 she was appointed his personal assistant and from 2014 she is the professional manager of Chelsea.
Granovskaya is different in the landscape - she has no accounts on social media, she is not interviewed and in England it is claimed that there is no journalist who can identify her voice.
While her job was to fulfill the desires of the owner, a series of decisions she made upgraded her status until she became the dominant figure in the club and in 2018 was chosen fifth on Forbes' list of the most powerful women in sports.
Do not bother, this is a marina
The first decision in its series of decisions was in 2009, when it managed to convince the owner not to get rid of Didier Drogba after the Champions League semi-final riot against Barcelona.
Granovskaya insisted, and three years later the same Drogba brought Chelsea the Champions Cup.
Russia also signed Jose Mourinho on Saturday for a second term at Stamford Bridge in 2013, despite the coach's dispute with Abramovich.
Remember, it ended with a championship and a League Cup.
To these must be added the purchase of Fernando Torres, the sale of Oscar, Ramirez, David Louise and Albero Murata for a total of 200 million euros, and above all the sale of the Tsar for about 140 million euros, with the Belgian contract only one year left.
According to evidence, doing business with Granovskaya is a special experience.
"She does not like phone calls and e-mail correspondence," an agent told EL PAIS, "she makes a decision and that's it. She leaves no choice."
The manager of one of the teams told Athletic magazine: "She is tough but fair. Very direct and professional, which is impossible to say about many people in the field."
This approach by Granovskaya, who managed to offset the price of Kay Habertz by 20 million euros in the summer when they acquired him from Leverkusen, is one of the main reasons why Chelsea returned to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2014.
In addition, it was able to effectively navigate between the ban on player acquisitions suffered by the team and the corona crisis and put together a strong team with a positive economic balance in the bank.
"Marina has done an amazing job," complimented Bayern Munich chairman Carl Heinz Rummenigge, "Chelsea are probably one of 2-3 clubs that have managed to escape the crisis."
With Granovskaya do not mess, for details: Antonio Conte and Frank Lampard, the first and last word is hers.
Thomas Tuchel was able to understand this when he arrived.
As a condition of signing, the German met with the professional director and made it clear to her that he was interested in "being the one to make professional decisions for the benefit of the team."
In the meantime it's working, but still, Marina is the one according to which anything will be settled at Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel, who has presented her with the requirements for next season, will accept them if he proves he deserves it.
A win over Real will definitely do the job.
And what about tonight?
Eden Hazard and Tony Cross are fit, Real will be missing Sergio Ramos and Perlan Mandy.
Chelsea will miss Matthew Kovacic.