MIRROR
Chelsea are set to pull off another big money swoop – this time for their next groundsman.
They sacked head groundsman Jason Griffin after 30 years at the club as well as his son Reisse. But they are ready to appoint former Real Madrid and Arsenal groundsman Paul Burgess who is widely regarded as the leader in his field.
Burgess left Real Madrid in 2020 to pursue other interests but won rave reviews for the way he kept the pitch at the Bernabeu having built up his reputation while working at Arsenal. In keeping with recent standards under Todd Boehly, Chelsea were determined to get the best man for the job at Stamford Bridge.
And that appears to be Burgess. He completely transformed Madrid’s pitch into being one of the best in world football and Chelsea are expecting the same. Chelsea were asked for comment.
Leading a team of more than 10 people, including his son, Griffin senior had held the position of head groundsman since 2003. His son was one of his assistants.
The duo’s sacking is seemingly part of a wider overhaul of staff that Boehly has overseen since his arrival. Medical, recruitment, coaching departments and the hierarchy at the club have all been reshaped.
Manchester United fans may well remember Griffin’s name after he was dragged into an FA investigation after a clash between Chelsea’s groundstaff and Patrice Evra in 2008. The Frenchman barged into Griffin as his team immediately got to work on the pitch after a win over United.
As a result, United’s then fitness coach Tony Strudwick got into a row with Chelsea’s heads groundsman at the time. The FA backed Griffin and his version of events.
The investigating commission said: “We broadly prefer Mr Griffin’s account. We were favourably impressed by Mr Griffin as a witness, who came across as frank, calm and sensible. Mr Strudwick we found less reliable.”
And as recently as last year Griffin’s team were called into question by Thomas Tuchel following a 4-2 loss to Arsenal. The German blamed the condition of the pitch for Andreas Christensen’s poor backpass which directly led to an Arsenal goal.
