Brighton make Hurzeler, 31, youngest Premier League manager

Fabian Hurzeler became the youngest full-time manager of an English Premier League club after Brighton announced Saturday they had appointed the 31-year-old as their new head coach.

Hurzeler, who guided St Pauli to German football’s Bundesliga second division title last season, has signed a contract with the south coast club until 2027.

The Texas-born Hurzeler will now be in a charge of a Seagulls squad where several players, including James Milner, 38, Danny Welbeck, 33, and Lewis Dunk, 32 are all older than him.

But Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said Hurzeler’s time at St Pauli made him a “standout candidate” to succeed Roberto De Zerbi, who left at the end of the season.

Hurzeler will start his new job when he receives a work permit before Brighton’s squad embarks on pre-season preparations in July.

“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 18 months,” said Bloom in a club statement.

“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.”

Ryan Mason, then 29, was briefly Tottenham’s interim boss in 2021 and the youngest coach to lead a Premier League team. 

But Hurzeler is the youngest to do so on a full-time basis since the division’s creation in 1992, with the new Brighton manager saying: “The club has a unique history and bold vision for the future so I am truly excited to be part of the project.”