Brighton & Hove Albion are in talks with German club St Pauli to appoint Fabian Hurzeler as their new head coach.
The 31-year-old has been head coach of St Pauli for 18 months and oversaw their promotion to the Bundesliga — following a 13-year absence — this season.
Brighton have been granted a Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) work permit for Hurzeler, who is now set to replace Roberto De Zerbi as the club’s head coach.
Hurzeler would become the youngest permanent head coach to have managed in the Premier League.
De Zerbi’s exit was announced ahead of Brighton’s final fixture of the 2023-24 season, with the Italian bidding farewell to the club following their 2-0 home defeat by Manchester United.
Brighton did give consideration to re-appointing Graham Potter as De Zerbi’s successor, with the Englishman out of work since leaving Chelsea last year and still living in the area. Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna was also a contender but opted to sign a new five-year deal with the club after guiding them to a second successive promotion.
Hurzeler — was born in Houston, Texas but left the United States as a child — spent 10 years in Bayern Munich’s academy before playing in the lower tiers of German football until 2020, when he first joined St Pauli as an assistant coach. He then took charge in December 2022 — at the age of 29 — following the sacking of Timo Schultz and guided St Pauli to a fifth-place finish. They had only been above the relegation play-off place on goal difference when Schultz departed.
Last season, St Pauli built on that success and quickly emerged as one of the promotion favourites under Hurzeler, ending the campaign as 2. Bundesliga champions.
De Zerbi, meanwhile, expressed his desire to return to football quickly when speaking after Brighton’s final Premier League game. “I hope to work in the Premier League again,” he said. ” I don’t know when, I don’t know where. It was an honour working in the Premier League. The stadiums are incredible, the atmosphere is unique.
“Without football is difficult for me, I will smoke more cigarettes, I hope to find a solution before the (next) season starts, otherwise I will study other coaches, watch 100 games per week more or less.”
De Zerbi was linked to the Chelsea vacancy following Mauricio Pochettino’s departure but he was never seriously in the frame for the job and the west London side quickly appointed Enzo Maresca from Leicester City.
Brighton are touring Japan as part of the 2024-25 pre-season fans and will face Kashima Antlers and Tokyo Verdy in friendlies in late July. They will also play Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on August 3.
(Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
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