What does Roman Abramovich’s decision mean for Chelsea?

The Blues have largely achieved success through a world class operations team, many of whom are considered some of the best in the world. Marina Granovskaia—the recipient of numerous awards in 2021 effectively dubbing her the best executive in European Football—is no different. Granovskaia has enjoyed a successful 20-year career that has been tethered to Abramovich and many are left wondering what her future holds. Yes, there are those out there that would argue that Granovskaia has ascended to her position largely out of the privilege of knowing Abramovich, but she has proven to be plenty capable in her own right.

In my opinion, it would be fair to say that Granovskaia’s future is not as cut-and-dry as some might suggest. As Abramovich steps back from the world of football, presumably to focus on other ventures, Granovskaia’s reputation will make her a sought after commodity for many of Europe’s biggest clubs. Replacing a respected executive who has helped this club acquire a bevy of silverware—including two Champions League trophies—as well as architecting some of the greatest signings in club history seems unlikely to be the priority for potential buyers of the club.

Granovskaia’s impact goes deeper than player acquisition, she’s been intimately involved in key sponsorship and business deals including a £900 million deal with Nike through 2032. As the Chief Executive, Granovskaia has transformed the marketability of Chelsea into a global brand with a vast following. It seems improbable that any investor would not greatly value the retention of her institutional knowledge and strategic expertise.

I don’t know that the business case for other positions is as easy to make.

A new owner will certainly want to change the organizational structure of the Blues. They will challenge both the Chelsea business model and the board’s governance structure. Bruce Buck seems a likely casualty due to the power he wields at the club. This will be particularly true if an American investor replaces Abramovich. Any American investor would be most interested in maximizing the profitability of the club. Buck has overseen a club that has been relatively unprofitable when considering total expenses, so expect investors who want to have a larger hand in growing the brand of the Blues to eliminate Buck’s position.

Many will recall Buck’s role in the Super League fiasco that directly threatened both Chelsea’s competitive reputation and its reputation with the Chelsea Supporter Trust. It’s precisely this type of decision-making ability that will cause investors to see him as a risk to the sustainability of their new long-term project.

Granovskaia and Buck aside, the biggest concern here is the numerous men and women who serve in less recognized roles within the Chelsea organization. We’re talking about the human resource personnel, the lower-level operations staff and even the groundskeepers. The sale of the Blues has the potential to completely change the day-to-day norms of the club and with that comes a significant amount of turnover for positions people rarely think about.