Chelsea having the transfer ban last summer and spending nothing in the January transfer window has helped Chelsea come out of the global crisis relatively unharmed.
But it would be silly to dismiss how player sales have helped Chelsea land big signings while still complying with FFP regulations. The one figure who has arguably played the biggest role in recent years is the so-called fierce negotiator Marina Granovskaia herself.
According to a report from the Daily Mail has given several examples of her most successful deals.
In 2014, then-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho reportedly wanted to get rid of David Luiz from his squad, likely because he preferred the more conservatives centre-backs such as John Terry and Gary Cahill. But thanks to Granovskaia, Chelsea somehow ended up with — a then-world record for a defender — £50million from PSG for Luiz. Another example is the £60m Shanghai SIPG paid to Chelsea for Oscar n 2016.
Chelsea also managed to sell Diego Costa for £60m in January 2018 despite having signed the Spain international for just £34m two years prior. And all that after Antonio Conte’s infamous text message which should have weakened Chelsea’s stance in negotiations.
Eden Hazard’s £85m last summer’s transfer to Real Madrid which reportedly could raise to £150m could pretty much covered Hakim Ziyech and potential Timo Werner’s signings.
The report also mentioned the smaller sales from the youth and loan system, including this season’s sales of Ola Aina (£9m), Victorien Angban (£5.4m), Kasey Palmer (£3.4m), Daishawn Redan (£2.4m) and Jay Dasilva (£2.1m) which when combined could enable Chelsea to compete for targets.
With Granovskaia leading the business, Frank Lampard leading the team, and Petr Cech as the bridge between the two; Chelsea may have found the ideal ingredients for chapter two of Roman Abramovich dynasty.