# Yaya Toure Manager Ambitions Hit Roadblock as Lyon’s Relegation Puts Deal on Ice

The dream of seeing **Yaya Toure manager** of a senior professional side has been thrown into serious doubt, as the Manchester City legend’s agreed-upon move to Belgian club RWD Molenbeek (historically known as Daring Brussels) is now on hold. The significant setback is not due to any issues with Toure himself, but rather stems from the cascading financial and administrative turmoil engulfing Eagle Football Holdings, the multi-club network owned by American businessman John Textor, following the shocking relegation of its flagship club, Olympique Lyonnais, from France’s Ligue 1.

For Toure, this represents a deeply frustrating pause on a career-defining moment. The Ivorian icon has been meticulously building his coaching credentials since hanging up his boots, and the head coach position at Molenbeek was set to be his first major appointment at the helm of a first team. However, the crisis at Lyon has forced a complete re-evaluation of priorities within Textor’s football empire, leaving Toure’s managerial debut in an uncertain limbo.

## How the John Textor Lyon Crisis Derails the Yaya Toure Manager Plan

The connection between a French giant’s relegation and a coaching appointment in Belgium lies in their shared ownership. John Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings controls a portfolio of clubs, including Premier League side Crystal Palace, Brazil’s Botafogo, Belgium’s RWD Molenbeek, and, most significantly, Olympique Lyonnais. The model is designed for synergy, shared scouting resources, and player pathways. However, when the largest and most prestigious asset in the network suffers a catastrophic failure like relegation, the shockwaves are felt across the entire structure.

Lyon’s drop into Ligue 2 is a financial disaster of immense proportions. The club faces a dramatic loss of revenue from television rights, a cornerstone of any top-flight European club’s budget. Sponsorship deals will be devalued, and gate receipts will likely decrease. Furthermore, the club is now under intense scrutiny from the DNCG, French football’s notoriously strict financial watchdog, which will impose severe constraints on spending.

This financial black hole at Lyon means all available resources and executive attention within Eagle Football are now diverted to the rescue mission in France. Projects at other clubs in the network, including the finalisation of the **Yaya Toure manager** deal at Molenbeek, have been deprioritised. The focus has shifted from expansion and development to damage control, and the uncertainty surrounding Lyon’s budget and future makes it impossible to commit to new, significant contracts elsewhere in the network.

### A Multi-Club Model Under Unprecedented Strain

John Textor’s vision for Eagle Football Holdings is ambitious, mirroring models used by groups like City Football Group. The idea is that the clubs support each other, creating a global football ecosystem. However, the Lyon crisis exposes the model’s primary vulnerability: the over-reliance on the health of its main club. Lyon was meant to be the financial and sporting engine of the group. Its relegation turns it into a massive liability.

The situation is compounded by the fact that RWD Molenbeek also suffered relegation from the Belgian Pro League last season. This means Textor is now dealing with two relegated clubs in his European portfolio, creating a perfect storm of financial pressure and sporting failure. The focus must now be on stabilising these two clubs to prevent further financial decay, a task that requires all hands on deck and leaves little room for executing pre-arranged plans like installing a new high-profile manager. As reported by leading French outlet L’Équipe, the fallout from Lyon’s relegation will be complex and far-reaching, impacting every aspect of the club’s operations and, by extension, the entire Eagle network.

### A Cruel Waiting Game for a Legend

For Yaya Toure, the timing could not be worse. After a glittering playing career that saw him win the Champions League with Barcelona and become a transformative figure at Manchester City, he has dedicated himself to learning the coaching craft. He has patiently worked his way up, holding youth coaching roles at Tottenham Hotspur before gaining senior experience as an assistant at Ukrainian club Olimpik Donetsk, Russia’s Akhmat Grozny, and most recently, at Belgian side Standard Liege.

The RWD Molenbeek job was the culmination of this hard work—a chance to finally implement his own vision and philosophy on a first team. He had reportedly agreed to terms and was ready to take on the challenge of leading the club back to the top flight. Now, through no fault of his own, he is forced to wait and see if the financial wreckage at Lyon can be cleared in time for his appointment to proceed. It is a stark reminder of how interconnected modern football ownership is, and how events at one club can have profound consequences for individuals at another, thousands of kilometres away.

The future remains uncertain. If John Textor can stabilise the situation at Lyon quickly, the deal for the **Yaya Toure manager** role could be resurrected. However, the scale of the financial restructuring required in France is immense. For now, one of football’s most celebrated modern midfielders must watch from the sidelines as his managerial aspirations are held hostage by a crisis he has no part in. The football world waits to see what happens next; stay tuned and check back for more news as this story develops.