Fabian Hurzeler becomes youngest permanent boss in Premier League history as Brighton confirm Roberto De Zerbi successor

Brighton & Hove Albion have confirmed the appointment of 31-year-old manager Fabian Hurzeler as Roberto De Zerbi’s successor.

Born in February 1993, Hurzeler becomes the Premier League’s youngest permanent manager of all time after signing a three-year contract.

Hurzeler said: "I am absolutely thrilled to be the new head coach of Brighton & Hove Albion.

"After speaking to Tony [Bloom], Paul [Barber] and David [Weir], it was clear that they are highly ambitious. The club has a unique history and bold vision for the future, so I am truly excited to be part of the project.

"The club has made incredible progress over the last few seasons and the aim is to continue building on that success. I am relishing the opportunity to coach in the Premier League, and I can't wait to meet the players, staff and, of course, the fans."

Hurzeler replaces De Zerbi, who led Brighton to their highest top-flight finish in his debut season in 2022/23 when The Seagulls secured European football for the first time in their history after securing sixth place.

After an injury-stricken 2023/24 term which saw Brighton crash out of the UEFA Europa League at the last-16 stage and finish 11th in the league, it was announced in May that De Zerbi would leave the club in the summer.

Having only joined in 2022 to replace Chelsea-bound Graham Potter, De Zerbi impressed on the South Coast but his departure has paved the way for Hurzeler’s record-breaking appointment.

The American-born Hurzeler has left newly-promoted Bundesliga side St Pauli to move to England.

He became the permanent boss of the German club in 2022 at 29 years of age after two years as assistant coach.

In his second season in charge, Hurzeler led the club to the Bundesliga II title, taking the team he inherited - who were in danger of relegation - back to the German top-flight for the first time in 13 years with the help of a 10-match winning streak.

St Pauli were Hurzeler’s second job in management, with his first senior role coming at lower-league German club FC Pipinsried from 2016 to 2020, before he joined St Pauli as Timo Schultz's assistant.

Hurzeler obtained his UEFA Pro Licence at 30 years of age in April last year during his stint with St Pauli.

He has also held positions in the German youth team set-up and was assistant manager for Germany U20s and U18s in 2018.

Should they remain at Brighton this summer, James Milner, Jason Steele, Danny Welbeck, Pascal Gross, Lewis Dunk and Joel Veltman will all be older than Hurzeler.

At 31, only Ryan Mason has managed a Premier League club at a younger age, when he took interim charge of Tottenham Hotspur aged 29 following Jose Mourinho’s dismissal in 2021.

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