Graham Potter rejection could hand Chelsea huge transfer boost
Former Chelsea boss Graham Potter has made a huge managerial decision following talks with Lyon. The 48-year-old parted ways with the Blues in April 2023 after a torrid run of form left them in the bottom half of the table with just three league wins.
Potter was subsequently replaced on an interim basis by Frank Lampard before Mauricio Pochettino took permanent charge in the summer. Since his sacking, Potter has been linked with the vacancies at Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur, but both clubs chose to go down different avenues.
With the 2023/24 campaign now in full flow and Potter without a job, that looked set to continue, but he was recently approached by French outfit Lyon with a decision now made. According to The Athletic, Potter has turned down the offer to replace Laurent Blanc as the club's new head coach.
It was however noted that he was impressed by owner John Textor but chose to reject the approach as he feels it is not the right time to return to management. Interestingly, Potter's decision could impact his former club in the long-term with transfer target Rayan Cherki playing his football at Groupama Stadium.
With Chelsea in search of a new creative option,Cherki was one of many identified with contact made between both clubs and with the players' representatives. However, Chelsea became more interested by Bradley Barcola but he instead joined Paris Saint-Germain.
The transfer of Malo Gusto means Lyon and Chelsea have previous, however the former were angered by the Blues' communication regarding Gusto's injury after he returned to Cobham just a month after signing for the Stamford Bridge club but re-joining Lyon on loan.
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