Graham Potter turns down Lyon five months after leaving Chelsea, ex-Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui also considered

Graham Potter, the former manager of Chelsea and Brighton, has declined an offer to become the head coach of Ligue 1 team Lyon. This decision comes five months after Potter left his position at Stamford Bridge. Julen Lopetegui, the former manager of Wolves, and Paulo Fonseca, the current manager of Lille, are also being considered for the winless Lyon team.

Graham Potter has turned down the chance to become the manager of Lyon despite his previous managerial stints at Chelsea and Brighton.

Graham Potter was considered as the first choice for overseeing a major restructure in a Ligue 1 club in eastern France. However, after meeting with Lyon’s owner, John Textor, Potter has decided that it is not the right time for him to move back into management.

The American owner of Lyon has ambitious plans for the club, which include significant investments in the squad and facilities, despite the team’s current position at the bottom of the table.

Lyon is considering hiring either Paulo Fonseca or Julen Lopetegui, the current Lille boss and former Wolves manager, respectively.

Potter was sacked by Chelsea in April after just 31 games into his five-year deal. The club finished outside the top half of the Premier League for the first time since 1996.

The 48-year-old coach had been consistently working since 2011, leading Ostersunds from the Swedish fourth tier to the top flight and European football.

He spent a year at Swansea before being selected as Chris Hughton’s successor at Brighton in 2019. During his time at Brighton, he implemented a new on-field approach that led to the team achieving their highest-ever league finish of ninth place in the 2021/22 season.

Lyon’s other options for the position included Fonseca, who joined Lille in 2022 and guided them to a fifth-placed finish in Ligue 1 last season. Lopetegui, on the other hand, successfully saved Wolves from Premier League relegation during his nine-month tenure at the club. Despite inheriting a challenging situation with only 10 points from 16 games, Lopetegui managed to turn things around.