Five big decisions confronting new owners
Granovskaia’s position ...
One of the biggest questions surrounding the change of ownership has centred around the future of Marina Granovskaia (above), who has pretty much run Chelsea since Roman Abramovich became an absent owner, and is rated as one of the best in the business.
With Chelsea already playing catch-up in the transfer market, with Manchester City setting up a deal for Erling Haaland, the expectation is Granovskaia will be left in charge of the club’s transfer business for at least the summer.
But whether she agrees to stay on may well rest on whether she will be afforded the same freedom and level of control under a new owner. The fact she played such a key part in the sale of the club suggested to some that, under the right circumstances, Granovskaia would like to stay on – at least in the short-term.
Thomas Tuchel, the head coach, would certainly see it as a boost if Granovskaia keeps her position, as the pair have worked well together, along with technical and performance adviser Petr Cech.
Sort Tuchel’s future ...
Chelsea’s head coach refused to take part in the talks with prospective buyers, but the new owners will now prioritise holding discussions with Tuchel (right).
Tuchel is viewed as one of Chelsea’s biggest assets and the German must be kept happy and assured that he will be backed.
With two years to run on the contract he extended last year, he has made it clear that he wants to stay but also that he wants to work for owners who want to win.
Tuchel will want assurances over the size of his transfer budget, as Chelsea must replace Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, as well as strengthen. He will also want clarity over the recruitment structure, as Tuchel has made it clear he would like to keep working with Granovskaia and Cech.
Deal with contracts ...
Chelsea’s wage bill reads back to front, with many of the highest earners under-performing and some of those near the bottom, such as Reece James and Mason Mount (above) and Edouard Mendy, proving absolutely vital to Tuchel’s plans.
There is also the issue of N’golo Kante and Jorginho entering the final 12 months of their contracts in what threatens to become a dangerous repeat of the situation Chelsea faced over Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen this season. Balancing the wage bill is not something that can be immediately solved, but a savvy owner would prioritise attempting to tie James and Mount to longterm deals, while, together with Mendy, rewarding their performances. In the cases of Kante and Jorginho, the new owners will need to decide whether to offer both or one of the pair new contracts, or consider selling.
Decide on a sponsor ...
Chelsea may have been playing with the Three logo on their shirts during the sale process, but the club’s shirt sponsor suspended its deal following the sanctions placed on Roman Abramovich. Three requested that their logo be taken off the team’s shirts and from parts of the stadium, while the company’s Stamford Bridge box has remained unused. Three’s sponsorship is worth £40million-a-year to Chelsea and has another season to run on the initial three-year deal that included an option to extend. Just a month ahead of the suspension of their sponsorship, Three launched their 5G network at Stamford Bridge and the decision to end their support will not have gone down well with Chelsea executives, particularly as the club’s sleeve sponsor, Hyundai, quickly followed suit.
The Boehly group must now decide whether to resume their sponsorship deals with Three and Hyundai or search for new partnerships. The sponsorship deals are particularly important to Chelsea who earn far less than their rivals in terms of match-day revenue.
Stick or twist on Lukaku ...
Romelu Lukaku’s future will be one of the most complex issues for the new Chelsea owners.
The Belgian is expected to hold talks once the sale of the club is finalised, with some of Lukaku’s former team-mates convinced he wants to leave just a year after re-signing in a club-record £97.5million deal.
Lukaku’s form and fitness have nosedived since he gave a controversial interview in which he questioned Tuchel’s tactics and use of him.
Given he is the club’s highest earner, on £325,000 a week, finding a club able to afford Lukaku (pictured below) will not be easy. There have already been suggestions that his best hope may be that Antonio Conte, his coach at Inter Milan, leaves Tottenham Hotspur for Paris St-germain.
There are some within Chelsea who believe Lukaku should be given a pre-season to try to regain full fitness and work closely with Tuchel over how he can fit into the head coach’s team. Given the club will play friendlies in the United States this summer, Chelsea’s new owners could use pre-season as the time to watch him and make a decision on the player.
Lukaku was signed too late to take part in the preparations for this season, but much will depend on the attitudes of the Belgian and Tuchel over whether a good pre-season this year could solve his problems.