Former Chelsea Manager Graham Potter Declines Lyon Offer, Julen Lopetegui Emerges as Top Contender

Graham Potter, the former manager of Chelsea and Brighton, has turned down the chance to lead Lyon. Despite being the top choice for overseeing a significant reorganization in eastern France, Potter, after meeting Lyon's owner John Textor and being impressed, has ultimately concluded that it is not the opportune moment to return to a managerial role, as informed by We News.

Lyon's American owner has grand aspirations for the club, and with the team languishing at the bottom of the table, there is a clear intention to inject substantial funds into bolstering the squad and enhancing the facilities in the upcoming months and years.

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Potter's record at Chelsea

Lyon is expected to shift their focus to current Lille manager Paulo Fonseca and Julen Lopetegui, who departed Wolves in August.

Potter has been unemployed since his dismissal from Chelsea in April, just thirty-one matches into a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge. Back then, the team occupied the eleventh spot in the Premier League and ultimately ended the season below the top half for the first time since 1996.

Prior to that, the 48-year-old had been in continuous work since 2011, first leading Ostersunds from the Swedish fourth tier to the top flight and European football.

He spent one year at Swansea before being selected as Chris Hughton's successor at Brighton in 2019. During his time at the Amex Stadium, he oversaw a transformation of the team's playing style, resulting in their best-ever league finish of ninth in the 2021/22 season.

Among Lyon's other choices, Fonseca joined Lille in June 2022 and led them to a fifth-place finish in Ligue 1 last season. Lopetegui, on the other hand, successfully avoided Premier League relegation for Wolves in a nine-month tenure, despite inheriting a team that had only earned 10 points from 16 games.