He emerged through Real Madrid's youth academy, but made a name for himself in La Liga with Getafe, following which he returned to his previous club, winning three major titles but being sparingly played over the course of three seasons.

[8] Granero made the definitive jump to Castilla in 2006–07's Segunda División, and slowly earned the confidence of coach Míchel until finally becoming an undisputed starter.

[10] After the season's end, in which both he and de la Red were instrumental in the team's campaign that included runs to the quarter-finals in the UEFA Cup and the final of the Copa del Rey,[11] Granero returned to Real Madrid.

In the 2010–11 campaign, after the club purchased two players in similar positions, Sami Khedira and Mesut Özil, Granero was limited mainly to substitute appearances.

[15] Granero's situation became worse in 2011–12, with even Fábio Coentrão – another compatriot of manager José Mourinho who was signed in the off-season, originally as a left fullback – being preferred over him as central midfielder.

[16][17][18][19] On 30 August 2012, Granero signed a four-year contract with English club Queens Park Rangers after transferring for a reported fee of £9 million, and was handed the number 14 shirt.

[24] On 17 September, after entering the pitch in the 81st minute of an eventual 0–2 home loss against FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League,[25] he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his right knee, being sidelined for approximately six months.