Graham Potter has met with Lyon who want him to become their next manager but the 48-year old has politely declined their offer. Lyon have yet to win in four games this season and sit bottom of the French league. Laurent Blanc is expected to lose his job as head coach following their 4-1 defeat to Paris St Germain.
Lyon’s American owner John Textor has met with Potter for talks but the former Chelsea boss, while intrigued by the challenge to coach abroad again, does not feel it is the right time to return to management just yet.
Lyon are now exploring other targets with Reims coach Will Still understood to be among their options. Potter suffered 11 defeats in 31 games at Chelsea after replacing Thomas Tuchel, as he struggled to deal with their bloated squad following their heavy spending last season.
Potter left his role as Chelsea boss in April after an intense few months and has since drawn attention from a number of clubs home and abroad.However, he has taken the time to recharge and is waiting for the right challenge before stepping back into front line management.
Potter though did impress at Brighton beforehand, leading them to their first top-half finish in 2022 since they were promoted to the Premier League in 2017. Lyon were once the top team in France, winning the Ligue 1 title in seven straight seasons from 2002 to 2008.
Lyon were 4-0 down at half-time against PSG at the weekend thanks to a Kylian Mbappe brace and goals from Achraf Hakimi and summer signing Marco Asensio.Corentin Tolisso’s second-half penalty provided some scant consolation for Lyon, who also suffered a 4-1 loss to Montpellier last month.
However, they have not won a league title since with Paris Saint-Germain dominating the league over the past decade. Lyon have endured a miserable start to their Ligue 1 season with one point in four games leaving them bottom of the table. Players were given a dressing down by the club’s ultras after their 4-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at the weekend, with the club now said to be looking into replacements for Blanc.
After the final whistle against PSG, the players stood in front of the Virage Nord, the end housing the Bad Gones ultras – Lyon’s most prominent ultras group and one of the biggest in Ligue 1.
Lyon players sheepishly stared towards the stands as one of the ultras leaders addressed them with a megaphone.‘To the Olympique Lyonnais 2023-2024 squad, this message is addressed to you,’ he said. ‘To those who assume the status of dressing-room leaders, the message is clear: If there are leaders in this dressing room, they no longer have the right to remain silent.
‘But to do that, you’re going to have to earn it. We love and respect this shirt. It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.
‘You’re wearing the Olympique Lyonnais jersey. You’re the ones who wear the Olympique Lyon jersey.‘You don’t have the right to tarnish it. Now that the transfer window is over, the squad is here. All we ask is to be by your side.
