Avram Grant may have led Chelsea to its first-ever Champions League final, but speculation continues to swirl around his future. Nevertheless, Grant maintains that his relationship with club owner Roman Abramovich is good. When asked if he had spoken to Abramovich following Chelsea’s 4-3 aggregate victory over Liverpool, Grant replied, “Yes, but it was a private matter. I have a feeling that you know that he’s happy, very happy. We are in contact, and he’s happy.”
Regarding his future, Grant seemed less sure. “Everything will be OK,” he said. “Do I look worried? I need to do my job all the time, to look at the present and the future in this club. About my personal life, I don’t know what I’m doing tomorrow. Professionally, I know what Chelsea need to do tomorrow, a week from now or two years from now.”
Grant has had to endure persistent and often times negative scrutiny throughout his first season at Stamford Bridge, despite leading his team to the Champions League final and a tie for first place in the English Premier League (Chelsea is second behind Manchester United thanks to an inferior goal differential). Yet his future isn’t the only topic of debate at the club: Shaun Wright-Philips and Didier Drogba are also slated for a possible summer departure. “There are a lot of rumors about everybody,” Grant said. “Didier can only play for one club, but he’s been linked to six or seven. If Shaun is not happy, given my relationship with the player, he can come and tell me. I don’t think there’s a problem. We are in historic moments in Chelsea, so this is a moment to say ‘thank you’ to all the players at Chelsea.”