In his latest piece for the Fancast, Bryce hails the phenomenal success of Chelsea Football Club and it’s ‘wonder woman’ Marina Granovskaia.
Marina Granovskaia. A name not known by many, but influential in all Chelsea fans’ lives. A negotiating powerhouse, bringing in hundreds of millions of pounds in sponsorship money, including a 15-year Nike deal worth £900m alone.
Her prowess has extended beyond the operational side of the club, into the day-to-day affairs and notably, the transfer window. She has truly earned the title of “Wonder Woman” at the club. Afitting nickname first made known to me by Dean Mears.
Marina began her relationship with Roman Abramovich as a personal assistant at Sibneft, an oil company which he later sold. She quickly became one of his most trusted advisors. Although she had no experience in football, she made her way into Chelsea as Roman’s eyes and ears. Her influence is seen in nearly every aspect of the club down to the training ground.
She has fostered a relationship with Vitesse Arnhem, which has allowed us to send 28 players on loan to the Dutch club; including Mason Mount.
Her influence was seen in the return of Jose Mourinho, reportedly having mended the relationship between Roman Abramovich and the Portuguese manager.
She was integral in the move to Cobham, the club’s world class practice facility, although this was before her “official” move into the club’s operations.
In 2010 she was appointed as Abramovich’s representative in London, 3 years later she was sworn onto the board. But her biggest impact has not been in the “behind the scenes” transactions, but in the transfer window.
It has been 10 years since Marina officially became involved with Chelsea. This period of football transfers has seen an explosion of transfer fees. In that time, the club has the 4th biggest transfer spending deficit in the Premier League’s top 6 clubs.
This is the total of money brought in by player sales, minus the amount spent on new players. All the top 6 have a negative transfer account over this time, although it is important to consider some “outside factors” on this list.
For instance, Tottenham is by far the smallest spender here, however, they also just completed a new stadium, something that is still being paid for by the club and has changed their transfer policies.
Money Spent (In Negative Millions)
1. Manchester City- ~ £942m2. Manchester United- ~ £766m3. Arsenal- ~ £363m4. Chelsea- ~ £355m5. Liverpool- ~ £257m6. Tottenham- ~ £86m
However, success in football is not determined by the amount of money spent, but by the tale of the trophy cabinet. Chelsea is 2nd on the list of major accolades over the last 10 years. Coming behind Manchester City, who have spent *only* ~£587,000,000 more than the London club in the exact same time frame.
Major Trophies Won
1. Manchester City- 152. Chelsea- 113. Manchester United- 64. Arsenal- 65. Liverpool- 56. Tottenham- 0 (lol)
As we see here, Tottenham is rightfully where they belong, at the bottom of the food chain. What we are also able to see, is that Chelsea, while outspending only 2 clubs, has been able to win more trophies than 4 of the top 6.
Something that in the modern world of boisterous transfer spending, should not be shrugged off as a small feat.
This sort of consistent success is a group effort, and led by our fearless leader Marina, this pattern is poised to continue. Sure, there have been some rifts between the board and former managers, even some former players.
But now, with Super Frank Lampard as our beloved manager, and Marina continuing to direct the business side of the club, Chelsea is gearing up for a fantastic run of football.
Thanks to Marina Granovskaia, our Wonder Woman, Chelsea Football Club is positioned to compete across Europe for years to come.
Keeping the Blue Flag Flying High, and ensuring that London, as it always has been, remains blue.
