Graham Potter: Ex-Chelsea boss turns down Lyon approach to replace Laurent Blanc

The former Brighton and Swansea coach is biding his time before returning to football after a nightmare seven-month spell at Stamford Bridge
Nizaar Kinsella7 September 2023

Former Chelsea manager Graham Potter has turned down the chance to replace Laurent Blanc as Lyon’s new manager.

Potter was targeted by Lyon owner John Textor as his top target to replace ex-France boss Blanc, who is winless in his first four matches of the new Ligue 1 season. Textor also owns a majority 40 per cent stake in Crystal Palace.

Potter politely declined the opportunity to work with Lyon, a club he saw as an appealing opportunity but one that had come at the wrong time.

The 48-year-old has been out of work since April but wants to evaluate his options further before committing to a return to the dugout.

Career setback: Graham Potter was sacked by Chelsea in April after only seven months
Chelsea FC via Getty Images

Potter suffered seven turbulent months at Stamford Bridge as Thomas Tuchel’s replacement before getting sacked and replaced by interim boss Frank Lampard, with the Blues then appointing Mauricio Pochettino as his permanent successor over the summer.

Potter got the Chelsea job after his impressive work over three years with Brighton, having also built up his coaching reputation with Swansea and Swedish club Ostersund, having began his managerial career at Leeds Carnegie.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in