“Brighton Inch Closer to Appointing Fabian Hurzeler as Their New Boss”.
Brighton and Hove Albion are closer to appointing 31-year-old Fabian Hurzeler as their new head coach, having secured a governing body endorsement (GBE) work permit.
The club has officially approached his current team, Bundesliga’s St Pauli, and negotiations are progressing.
If appointed, Hurzeler would be the youngest permanent head coach in Premier League history.
Brighton has been searching for a replacement for Roberto de Zerbi since his departure at the end of the season, considering several candidates including former boss Graham Potter, Steve Cooper, and Malmö’s Henrik Rydstrom.
Another potential candidate, Kieran McKenna, chose to extend his contract with Ipswich.
Hurzeler, the leading candidate to succeed De Zerbi, has been with St Pauli for 18 months, becoming the club’s youngest coach at 29. He recently led them to promotion back to the Bundesliga after a 13-year absence.
He had a lower league playing career with Bayern Munich’s reserve team, where he played alongside Borussia Dortmund captain Emre Can. He also played for Hoffenheim and 1860 Munich before retiring at the age of 23. Transitioning into coaching, he earned his UEFA Pro Licence by the age of 30.
Hurzeler visited Brighton last year to learn from De Zerbi’s techniques and is a strong supporter of the club’s approach.
While his contract with St Pauli lacks a release clause, there was an agreement that he could engage in talks if a top club expressed interest.
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