Report: Brighton Names Fabian Hürzeler Youngest-Ever Premier League Manager

Patrick Andres | Jun 14, 2024

Mar 25, 2013; Mexico City, MEXICO; General view of FIFA soccer ball at United States training session at Estadio Azteca in advance of World Cup qualifying match against Mexico. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

In the wake of manager Roberto De Zerbi's departure, Brighton is reportedly thinking outside the box for its next hire.

The 11th-place finisher in the Premier League this season is hiring Fabian Hürzeler as its next manager, according to a Friday morning report from soccer journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Hürzeler, 31, is the youngest full-time manager in the history of the Premier League. Ryan Mason, then 29, managed Tottenham briefly on an interim basis in 2021.

In 2024, Hürzeler managed FC St. Pauli in Germany's second division. He steered the club to the 2. Bundesliga title, which resulted in its first promotion in over a decade.

Brighton thrived in two seasons under De Zerbi, finishing sixth in the league in 2023 and reaching the Europa League. There, the club fell to Roma in the round of 16.

Hürzeler, who played his entire club career in Germany, was born in Houston in 1993; his parents were working in the United States at the time.

Published Jun 14, 2024|Modified Jun 14, 2024

PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .