Lyon to consider former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Julen Lopetegui as new boss?

Lyon are reportedly considering whether to move for Julen Lopetegui as their new head coach.

The French outfit currently have Laurent Blanc in charge, but their start to the season and hostile reaction from the club's ultras last weekend have led to club officials contemplating a change.

Les Gones sit at the bottom of the Ligue 1 table, a consequence of losing three times and scoring just three goals during their opening four fixtures.

Owner John Textor is keen to overseen a turnaround in fortunes as soon as possible, with the club having already spent time away from European participation which had previously been the norm.

Earlier this week, it was claimed that former Chelsea boss Graham Potter had rejected the opportunity to replace Blanc with immediate effect.

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However, it appears that Lyon may have their sights on another manager who has recently seen his time in the Premier League come to an end.

According to Sky Sports News, Lopetegui has emerged as a potential candidate to make the switch to France should Blanc be removed from his position.

Lopetegui successfully guided Wolverhampton Wanderers to Premier League safety in 2022-23 having initially taken over with the club at the bottom of the standings.

Nevertheless, the Spaniard's ambitions to take Wolves up a level were not matched by owners Fosun, who could not deliver his transfer targets courtesy of wanting to ensure that all FFP criteria was being met.

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As a result, the two parties reached a mutual agreement to part ways, but the 57-year-old's stock remains high given the impact that he made at Molineux.

After his successful Sevilla side had lost their way, Lopetegui went on to deliver 10 wins and six draws from his 27 matches in charge of Wolves in all competitions.

Villarreal have also been credited with an interest in Lopetegui, although it was recently suggested that the Yellow Submarine were focusing their attention on Raul, who manages Real Madrid's Castilla side.

The report adds that Lille manager Paulo Fonseca is also under consideration by the Lyon hierarchy, but any approach may be rebuffed with Lille in sixth place in France's top flight and having Europa Conference League football for 2023-24.