PL News: Brighton appoint new manager
Brighton have appointed Fabian Hurzeler as their new manager.
They have made him the youngest full-time boss in Premier League history.
Hurzeler, who led St Pauli to the Bundesliga 2 title last season with 20 wins out of 34 matches, has signed a contract running until 2027. He will join the team once he receives his work permit, just in time for Brighton's pre-season preparations in July.
If any club was likely to appoint a 31-year-old manager, younger than their captain and several key players, it would be Brighton. The club has a reputation for pushing boundaries and thinking outside the box to compete with bigger, richer, and more established Premier League teams.
Hurzeler’s CV may not be extensive, but it includes notable success and a commitment to a playing style similar to that of his predecessors, De Zerbi and Graham Potter.
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Every managerial appointment carries some risk. Critics of the ‘Brighton model’ often point to clubs like Southampton and Leicester, who punched above their weight for years only to end up in the Championship when things went wrong.
However, Hurzeler appears to be a good fit for Brighton. On Tuesday, he will find out who his first opponents as a Premier League manager will be. He will be hoping to avoid a tough run of fixtures against the league’s heavyweights, giving Brighton a chance to start on the front foot.
If they can manage that, Hurzeler could prove to be another shrewd appointment for a club that has turned it into an art form.
Exciting times again for Brighton?
Brighton fans seem really happy with the appointment.
"He's a really exciting prospect. Having stormed the Bundesliga 2 with St Pauli. He had some big offers, St Pauli renewed his contract in March but I guess the job offer from Brighton changed the equation for him. It is a gamble because he only has one and a half years of coaching so far on his CV. As a Brighton fan, I was gutted when De Zerbi left the club but this shows we aren't scared of doing things differently. This approach has been successful since we got promoted to the Premier League and I have no reason to doubt that happening again."
