Brighton announces Hurzeler as new head coach
Brighton and Hove Albion has confirmed that Fabian Hurzeler has become the club's new head coach.
The 31-year-old has signed a three-year deal and arrives having led St Pauli to the 2. Bundesliga title and promotion last season, winning 20 of its 34 matches with Australia's Jackson Irvine as its captain.
Hurzeler will also become the youngest full-time boss of a Premier League since the league began in 1992.
Indeed, he is the first coach in the competition's history to have been born after the league started.
“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," Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said.
“He has a style of play that aligns with how we want a Brighton and 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.”
Brighton's rise under the stewardship of De Zerbi has been admired by many, with the Italian helping the club qualify for Europe for the first time in its history at the end of the 2022-2023 campaign.
While the Seagulls finished in the bottom half of the Premier League table last season, they reached the Round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League, with Hurzeler looking forward to building on the solid foundations laid by the man before him.
"The club has made incredible progress over the last few seasons and the aim is to continue building on that success," Huerzeler said.
"I am relishing the opportunity to coach in the Premier League, and I can't wait to meet the players, staff and, of course, the fans."
