Former Chelsea manager Avram Grant was not the most popular man during his time in the Stamford Bridge dugout.
Had he known that Grant was going to succeed Jose Mourinho, Tal Ben Haim would not have joined Chelsea.
Ben Haim was not the only defender who had a difficult time under Grant, though.
Branislav Ivanovic also found life during the Israeli’s tenure tough to the point where he thought about leaving Stamford Bridge.
Former Chelsea manager Avram Grant at Club World Cup final
Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
Branislav Ivanovic considered leaving Chelsea after being overlooked by Avram Grant
In January 2008, Chelsea signed Ivanovic from Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow. The Serbian would have been incredibly excited after joining one of English football’s top clubs, but in the end, he failed to make a single appearance for the Blues during the second half of the 2007/08 campaign.
After his move to west London, Ivanovic picked up an injury, which did not help. However, even after his return, he was overlooked by Grant.
Ivanovic was so disheartened that he considered leaving Stamford Bridge.
The ex-defender told The Standard in a 2012 interview: “I have no ill feeling towards Avram but at that moment I was really angry. I understand him now because I couldn’t change a lot of things in that moment.”
Ivanovic later went on to add: “I don’t think you can find a player in the world who is happy when they’re not playing. This is normal, it’s a human thing. You think you deserve to play but a manager’s job is to find the players he wants to play. Of course I was very angry. Maybe I was thinking [about leaving] but that was two years ago. Things have changed now. It wasn’t in just one day, it changed step by step.”
Thankfully, the retired Serbia international stayed at Chelsea, and as they say, the rest is history.
Ivanovic went on to make 377 appearances for the Blues, becoming a club legend in the process. He also managed to score 34 times, which is not a bad return for a defender.
Chelsea defender Ashley Cole slaps Branislav Ivanovic's hand
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Branislav Ivanovic’s honours list at Chelsea
Ivanovic will be glad that he stayed at Chelsea. Yes, the former Lokomotiv Moscow man did eventually start playing for the Blues and regularly, but he also went on to win a plethora of trophies.
For example, during his time in the English capital, Ivanovic won three Premier League titles and one Champions League trophy.
Branislav Ivanovic’s trophy cabinet at Chelsea Number of times won
Premier League 3
Champions League 1
Europa League 1
FA Cup 3
League Cup 1
Community Shield 1
Total 10
Clearly, that half season under Grant was really tough for him. But Ivanovic did not give up and was rewarded for it.
Ultimately, the Chelsea legend can be a fine example for any Blues player who is currently being snubbed by Enzo Maresca.