Brighton & Hove Albion Head Coach Fabian Hurzeler Downplays Jurgen Klopp's Claim

The 31-year-old is currently the youngest-ever full-time boss of a Premier League team

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been named as Red Bull’s global head of soccer / IMAGO / PA Images

Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler has disclosed he spoke to the former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp about managing in the Premier League, however, he has dismissed comparisons between them.

Hurzeler came through the youth ranks at Bayern Munich, however, he cut short his playing career at the age of 23 and went into coaching. After handling Germany's Under-20s and Under-18s, he became Timo Schultz's assistant at St Pauli in 2020 and took charge of the team in December 2022.

Hurzeler was highly rated in Germany following his exploits with St Pauli. He guided the club to the Bundesliga 2 title in the 2023/24 season by winning 20 of their 34 matches. 

The 31-year-old is currently the youngest-ever full-time boss of a Premier League team after he took over from Italian manager Roberto De Zerbi in the summer on a three-year deal at Brighton.

He has overseen a smooth transition at the Amex stadium picking up 19 points from 11 games played so far and surging to sixth in the standings. Before the November international, Hurzeler guided the Seagulls to a 2-1 comeback win over defending champions Manchester City.

The victory helped Liverpool as they opened up a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table. 

Hurzeler's potential and career path has often seen him being compared with Klopp, however speaking to BILD (h/t Sport Witness), the Brighton boss said it was too early to make those claims.

"In England I’m already being compared to Jurgen – which we can leave alone because he was much more successful and had a unique career," he said. "The only comparison that fits is that we both had our hair enhanced a bit!"

"For me, Jurgen is the best coach when it comes to creating an identity for a club and all employees," he added. "He described to me how consistently he acted and also made tough decisions – that was very revealing."

Klopp stepped down as Liverpool manager at the end of last season after a stellar nine-year stint on Merseyside. He led the club to several titles including the Premier League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, FA Cup, and two League Cups.