Brighton & Hove Albion have announced the appointment of Fabian Hurzeler as their new head coach.
The 31-year-old joins from German club St Pauli and will become the youngest permanent head coach to have managed in the Premier League. Seven members of Brighton’s 2023-24 first-team squad are older than him, including 38-year-old James Milner.
He has signed a three-year deal that will keep him at the club until June 2027 and will begin work when his work permit is processed.
Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said: “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.”
Deputy chairman and chief executive Paul Barber said: “Away from the pressure of the regular season, we have taken our time to get this appointment right and are delighted to have agreed with Fabian to become our new head coach.
“He has already shown in a relatively short space of time as a head coach that he is one of the most innovative coaches working in football, and we are looking forward to getting ready for next season.”
Hurzeler enjoyed great success at St Pauli (Selim Sudheimer/Getty Images)
Hurzeler — born in Houston, Texas, but left the United States as a child — spent a decade in Bayern Munich’s academy before transitioning to play in Germany’s lower divisions until 2020. That year, he began his tenure at St Pauli as an assistant coach and assumed managerial responsibilities in December 2022, aged 29, succeeding Timo Schultz after his dismissal.
He oversaw this season’s promotion to the Bundesliga — the club’s first return to the German top tier since 2011.
St Pauli were only above the 2. Bundesliga relegation play-off place on goal difference when Hurzeler was appointed, but he guided the club to a fifth-place finish and then to the title the following season.
He replaces Roberto De Zerbi, who left Brighton at the end of the season. Former Brighton head coach Graham Potter, who still lives in the area, and Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna were among those who were considered for the role. McKenna opted to sign a five-year contract at Ipswich, whom he guided to successive promotions from League One to the Premier League.
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.
(Top photo: Selim Sudheimer/Getty Images)
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