Why Boehly took over as sporting director, with Marina Granovskaia 'unlikely to be consulted'

As per The Athletic, Todd Boehly 'sidelined' ex-Chelsea sporting director Marina Granovskaia as soon as he became the club's owner.

While there was a feeling that Marina would stay with the club this summer, Boehly was 'opting to work the phones himself and talk directly to agents and executives at rival clubs' from mid-June.

The shift was finalised on June 22, when Chelsea announced that Marina would step down and Boehly would take over as the interim sporting director.

The report states the reason for the change - it provides a 'streamlined decision-making structure' that is more aligned with the direction of the new ownership.

Marina had been Roman Abramovich's right-hand woman for over a decade and Boehly wanted to introduce changes early on in his regime. While she is still on board to advise Boehly, she is 'unlikely to be consulted'.

Therefore, while not a 'permanent solution', he thought this to be the best decision for the time being.

The report adds that, for example, Marina and former director Petr Cech didn't want to let Romelu Lukaku leave for Inter, but Boehly sanctioned that deal.

The positive is that Thomas Tuchel is in direct contact with Boehly about the summer transfer targets. He is more involved than almost any coach was during Abramovich's 19 years as the club's owner.

Ultimately, it is also stated that patience will be required by fans as Chelsea were behind in the transfer market already due to the change in ownership and getting the players they want won't be a very easy task.

Source: The Athletic