Fabian Hürzeler

Fabian Marc Hürzeler (born 26 February 1993) is a German professional football manager and former player. He is the current head coach of club Brighton & Hove Albion. He became the youngest permanent head coach in Premier League history at age 31.

Playing career Hürzeler joined Bayern Munich's youth academy at the age of 10 and went through all of the club's youth teams. He also represented Germany at several youth levels, collecting 21 appearances for his country. His career as a professional footballer took place mainly in the lower ranks of German football, playing with Bayern Munich II, TSG Hoffenheim II, and 1860 Munich II. He effectively ended his professional playing career at the age of 22, but continued to play at an amateur level with FC Pipinsried, as a player-coach. After joining the coaching staff of FC St. Pauli in 2020, Hürzeler joined Hamburg-based sixth division club Eimsbütteler TV and was promoted with the club to the Oberliga Hamburg, the fifth-highest level, in 2022.

Coaching career Early career In 2016, Hürzeler, who had been eyeing a transition into a managerial role for many years and had been predicted a "great career as a coach" by former Bayern Munich II teammate Emre Can, moved down to the amateur ranks of German football, joining FC Pipinsried in a joint player-head coach role. In 2018, he also took on the job as assistant manager in charge of the Germany U20s and Germany U18s. He was given the job of head coach on a permanent basis just two weeks later, on 23 December, following several good results, thus becoming the youngest head coach in the 2. Bundesliga league at just 29. Hürzeler managed to turn round the team's fortunes, taking St. Pauli from in danger of relegation to close to the promotion places by achieving 10 wins in a row by April 2023. In April 2023, he obtained his UEFA Pro Licence at just 30. In March 2024, Hürzeler extended his contract with the club and on 12 May 2024 St. Pauli were promoted to the Bundesliga.

Brighton & Hove Albion On 15 June 2024, Hürzeler became the new head coach of Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, replacing Roberto De Zerbi. He is the youngest permanent head coach in Premier League history. In his first competitive match with Brighton, Hürzeler's team won 3–0 away at Everton in the Premier League. Hürzeler oversaw an unbeaten start to Brighton's season, which also included a home win against Manchester United and an away draw at Arsenal, earning him the Premier League Manager of the Month award for August.

On 7 May 2026, he extended his contract with the club until 2029. In his second season in charge, Brighton finished eighth place the same position as last year and likewise, qualified for the 2026–27 UEFA Conference League and the second time the team qualified for Europe after three years despite their home defeat to Manchester United.

Personal life Hürzeler was born in Houston, Texas, to a Swiss father and a German mother while they were working in the United States.

Managerial statistics

Honours FC Pipinsried Bayernliga Süd promotion: 2016–17

FC St. Pauli 2. Bundesliga: 2023–24