Graham Potter turns down top job at French club following a meeting with their owner… as the former Chelsea and Brighton boss decides it’s not the right time to return

• Graham Potter has turned down the opportunity to manage French side Lyon 
• The ex-Chelsea boss had met with the French club’s owner for talks 
• Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast It’s All Kicking Off!

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.

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.

Graham Potter has turned down the opportunity to replace Laurent Blanc at Lyon

Lyon are bottom of Ligue 1 with one point in four games and players were given an extraordinary dressing down by their fans on Sunday after a 4-1 defeat against PSG

The French side are considering potential replacements for under-fire boss Laurent Blanc

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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 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.

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.

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. 

Potter has been out of work since he was sacked by Chelsea in April after less than seven months in charge

Corentin Tolisso’s second-half penalty provided some scant consolation for Lyon, who also suffered a 4-1 loss to Montpellier last month.

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.

‘You’re wearing the Olympique Lyonnais jersey. You’re the ones who wear the Olympique Lyon jersey.

‘Others before you have worn it, glorified it.

Lyon players were warned against ‘smearing’ the club’s shirt after losing 4-1 to PSG

One of the leaders of the Bad Gones ultras group urged the team’s leaders to step up

‘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.

‘But to do that, you’re going to have to earn it. We love and respect this shirt.

‘There’s only one other thing we ask: to sing your names. Sing them with love, not like we sang the names of the little *******. who have left our club in the last six months.

‘We want to sing your names with respect, with love. Because we know you play with love.

‘But we expect you guys to respect our jersey […] and if we have to take our losses to do so with our heads held high. Go OL.’

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