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1997-1998
DATE OF BIRTH Sunday, 19th January 1975
PLACE OF BIRTH Islington, London
DEBUT Saturday, 5th April 1997 as a sub in a 3-0 defeat at home to Arsenal (Aged: 22)
CLUB CAREER 12 League apps (+6 as sub), 0 goals
Islington-born Danny Granville was relatively unknown outside of the Abbey Stadium when he left
Cambridge United to join Ruud Gullit's Chelsea in March 1997 for a fee of £300, 000, and it is a
measure of his impressive talents that in little over a year at Stamford Bridge, and after just 12
league starts, Danny's stock rose by £1.3m. The young left-back made his debut as a substitute in
an experimental Blues side which was beaten 3-0 at home by Arsenal as Gullit chose to rest his
stars ahead of the following weekend's FA Cup semi-final, and was the beneficiary of the
Dutchman's late-season rotation policy as he regularly rested players in the build-up to Chelsea's
victorious Cup Final clash with Middlesbrough. Danny's meteoric rise continued apace and he
was in the Blues' starting line-up at Wembley for the Charity Shield clash with Manchester United,
but Gullit then signed Blackburn's Graeme Le Saux on the eve of the new Premiership season
and it quickly became obvious that Danny's opportunities would be limited by the Channel
Islander's return to the Bridge. A superb goal, his only strike for the club, in a European Cup
Winners Cup clash with Slovan Bratislava sealed victory for Chelsea in their first match of the
competition, but the highlight of Granville's career came when he replaced the injured Le Saux
for the Stockholm final against Stuttgart. The match, best remembered for Gianfranco Zola's
superb winning goal, was a personal triumph for Danny who, despite the illustrious company
surrounding him, was the best player on the pitch. He even displayed maturity beyond his years in
the final minute when he refused the opportunity of a shot at an open Stuttgart net from the
halfway line (the goalkeeper had been left stranded from a corner that had been cleared by the
Blues), preferring instead to run the clock down with the ball at his feet. Surprisingly, that proved
to be his final game in a Chelsea shirt, as a month later it was announced that he would be
packing his European medal away and joining Leeds United for £1.6m.
DATE OF BIRTH Sunday, 19th January 1975
PLACE OF BIRTH Islington, London
DEBUT Saturday, 5th April 1997 as a sub in a 3-0 defeat at home to Arsenal (Aged: 22)
CLUB CAREER 12 League apps (+6 as sub), 0 goals
Islington-born Danny Granville was relatively unknown outside of the Abbey Stadium when he left
Cambridge United to join Ruud Gullit's Chelsea in March 1997 for a fee of £300, 000, and it is a
measure of his impressive talents that in little over a year at Stamford Bridge, and after just 12
league starts, Danny's stock rose by £1.3m. The young left-back made his debut as a substitute in
an experimental Blues side which was beaten 3-0 at home by Arsenal as Gullit chose to rest his
stars ahead of the following weekend's FA Cup semi-final, and was the beneficiary of the
Dutchman's late-season rotation policy as he regularly rested players in the build-up to Chelsea's
victorious Cup Final clash with Middlesbrough. Danny's meteoric rise continued apace and he
was in the Blues' starting line-up at Wembley for the Charity Shield clash with Manchester United,
but Gullit then signed Blackburn's Graeme Le Saux on the eve of the new Premiership season
and it quickly became obvious that Danny's opportunities would be limited by the Channel
Islander's return to the Bridge. A superb goal, his only strike for the club, in a European Cup
Winners Cup clash with Slovan Bratislava sealed victory for Chelsea in their first match of the
competition, but the highlight of Granville's career came when he replaced the injured Le Saux
for the Stockholm final against Stuttgart. The match, best remembered for Gianfranco Zola's
superb winning goal, was a personal triumph for Danny who, despite the illustrious company
surrounding him, was the best player on the pitch. He even displayed maturity beyond his years in
the final minute when he refused the opportunity of a shot at an open Stuttgart net from the
halfway line (the goalkeeper had been left stranded from a corner that had been cleared by the
Blues), preferring instead to run the clock down with the ball at his feet. Surprisingly, that proved
to be his final game in a Chelsea shirt, as a month later it was announced that he would be
packing his European medal away and joining Leeds United for £1.6m.
| Other Chelsea Left Backs |
| DANNY GRANVILLE |