Brighton and Hove Albion have their new boss, and it’s a history-making hire.
Fabian Hurzeler is just 31 years old and now the youngest permanent managerial appointment in Premier League history.
For perspective, Hurzeler is a year-and-a-half younger than Lewis Dunk, and also was born after Seagulls veterans Jason Steele, Joel Veltman, Pascal Gross, and Danny Welbeck.
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Hurzeler was appointed by St. Pauli in December of 2022, leading the club out of relegation danger. St. Pauli caught fire in his first full season, leading the Boys in Brown to Bundesliga promotion.
The Texas-born Hurzeler moved to Germany as a toddler and came through Bayern Munich’s academy as a German youth international but retired from playing at a high level at 23.
He became a fifth-division player-coach from 2016-2020 with FC Pipinsried, and was an assistant manager for Germany’s U-20s and U-18s.
Brighton statement on Fabian Hurzeler hire
Here’s what Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said of hiring Hurzeler, via the club’s web site:
“From the start of the process to appoint our new head coach, Fabian was always a standout candidate and one who had caught our attention with his exceptional work at St Pauli over the past eighteen months.
“He has a style of play that aligns with how we want a Brighton & Hove Albion team to play, and I’m confident it is one our supporters will appreciate and enjoy.
“Fabian also has an excellent coaching pedigree and has worked with the German federation at various age group levels. We are really excited to start working with Fabian to prepare for the upcoming season.”
What will Fabian Hurzeler bring to Brighton?
St. Pauli played a 3-4-3 almost exclusively last season, scoring 62 times in 34 games while conceding just 36 times.
Roberto De Zerbi rarely went for a back three during his time at Brighton, so this will look quite a bit different, but it will fit in with the attack and possess plan followed by both De Zerbi and Graham Potter in massively successful tenures at the Amex Stadium.
There’s been major turnover at Brighton in recent seasons, with Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister, Robert Sanchez, Yves Bissouma, Marc Cucurella, and Leanardo Trossard all sold to Premier League big boys since the summer of 2022. Ben White and Dan Burn left the previous season.
But Brighton’s talent identification has been solid, and the club will hope to hold onto stars Kaoru Mitoma, Pervis Estupinan, and Simon Adingra while continuing the development of Evan Ferguson, Joao Pedro, Carlos Baleba, and new “next big thing” Valentin Barco.
Expect more of the same in terms of intent and ingenuity. Whether wins follow is a bigger question.
