Former Chelsea and Brighton manager Graham Potter has declined the opportunity to take charge at Lyon.
The Ligue 1 club made him their first choice to try to oversee a major restructure in eastern France. Still, while Potter met with, and was impressed by, Lyon's owner, John Textor, he has ultimately decided it is not the right time to move back into management.
Lyon's American owner has big ambitions for the club, and with the club bottom of the table, he plans to invest heavily in the squad and facilities over the coming months and years.
It is thought Lyon will now turn their attention to current Lille boss Paulo Fonseca and Julen Lopetegui, who left Wolves in August.
Potter has been out of work since he was sacked by Chelsea in April, only 31 games into a five-year deal at Stamford Bridge. At the time, the club were 11th in the Premier League and finished outside the top half for the first time since 1996.
Before that, the 48-year-old had been in continuous work since 2011, leading Ostersunds from the Swedish fourth tier to the top flight and European football.
