Hurzeler settles on the south coast as Brighton plot next step

Two years into his reign on the south coast, Fabian Hurzeler says he has never felt more at home. The 33-year-old Brighton & Hove Albion head coach, preparing for a third Premier League campaign, admits the criticism that comes with the job has been delivered to him in a way he can respect.

“I really want to adapt to this culture here,” Hurzeler told The Athletic at Rockwater, a beachside venue in Hove. “When I get criticised (by the media or fans), I get criticised in the right way. I always felt it was a respectful way. So, I want to give something back. I want to integrate into the culture here. I see myself now here, living in the UK. So I have to behave as if I’m from the UK, too.

“It has a lot to do with the city here, with the club. I feel very welcome. It has a sense of community, of being a family. I feel like I’m part of this journey. And that’s why I really can identify with it. That makes me feel more and more British.”

Lessons from a master: Ancelotti mentorship

Over the summer, Hurzeler sought the counsel of one of football’s most decorated managers — Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti. Their first meeting came on a Zoom call last season, arranged by Ancelotti’s son Davide, with the 67-year-old at home in Vancouver. A second meeting followed at a hotel, where the pair watched England against Croatia together and shared stories, including anecdotes about Luka Modric, who played under Ancelotti at Real Madrid.

“The main bit he emphasises is the connection towards people, towards his players and his staff. The calmness he spreads. ‘I know what I’m doing, trust me’. I want to be connected with everyone. So, that was really interesting,” Hurzeler said.

“He was unbelievably open. He spent so much time with me. He asked me questions. We had a long chat and then he said, ‘If you are at the World Cup, come to our camp’.”

World Cup grounding with Talksport

Hurzeler also immersed himself in the game’s biggest stage as a summariser for UK radio station Talksport, calling England’s 0-0 draw against Ghana and offering post-match analysis on England fixtures and Spain’s final victory over Argentina. He believes the experience sharpened his communication.

“It helps you as a coach in that you have to summarise things in a short and very easy way so that everyone understands,” he explained. “Football might get more and more complex, but simplicity counts. Less is more. Expressing yourself in the media is also something every manager can benefit from, because you keep learning how you handle arguments, discussions with other experts.”

New deal, but not without doubt

Hurzeler signed a new three-year contract in May, ending speculation over his future after a winter slump of one win in 13 league games that saw some fans call for his sacking following a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace. Brighton recovered to finish eighth for a second successive season and qualify for the Conference League.

“If I said not at all, I would lie,” he said of any doubts about extending. “There are always doubts. But more regarding the results. I’m still so convinced of my style of play, so convinced of how I’m leading, so convinced about big belief in my players.”

‘Don’t change my deep philosophy’

Hurzeler is adamant he will not rip up his identity during difficult spells. “Two things are important in these kinds of phases. Never let these doubts or fear or insecurity impact your behaviour or your belief,” he said. “And the second thing is: don’t change my deep philosophy. The change would be, ‘Now we go to a low block and we only make transitions’. And that’s the worst thing you can do.

“Don’t change, because then the players think, ‘One week we play like this, the other week we play like this’. I’m so convinced of my style of playing, my philosophy, I won’t change it. I will adapt and adjust to certain elements. But this deep foundation will always be with me.”

Rebuffing Leverkusen, keeping Bayern door ajar

Hurzeler was high on Bayer Leverkusen’s wanted list amid the uncertainty, and he never managed in the top Bundesliga division after steering St Pauli to promotion before succeeding Roberto De Zerbi in 2024. Asked about his boyhood club Bayern Munich, he was non-committal.

“You never know how the future goes. Of course, there are some paths I had in my playing career and some connections towards (Bayern). I didn’t have one talk with any club. Because I’m fully committed to Brighton. I feel a lot of trust from Tony (Bloom, Brighton’s owner-chairman), from Paul (Barber, chief executive). They really believe in me.”

Record rebuild as old guard moves on

The pursuit of progress has driven a younger, fresher rebuild. A core group in their thirties and forties has been eroded by the retirement of James Milner and the departure of Danny Welbeck to Chelsea. Brighton’s seven signings split into two categories: established players in their mid-to-late twenties, led by central defender Pascal Struijk from Leeds United and loan signing Promise David, and youngsters spearheaded by 19-year-old centre-back Luka Vuskovic from Tottenham Hotspur.

Vuskovic, a Croatia international, cost a club-record £46million ($61.5m) — £6m less than the fee received for Jan Paul van Hecke’s move in the opposite direction. Nigerian winger Zadok Yohanna, bought for £21.8m from Swedish side AIK, fits the mould of young talents Brighton develop before selling on. Hurzeler praised the recruitment partnership with Bloom.

“That’s also a big part of why I extended my contract. Because of the good collaboration, the good communication with Tony about these things. He’s very open. He gives me a lot of freedom, a lot of power. Of course it’s in a frame. What I mean by a frame is: when you need a centre-back, the numbers say we have these four or five choices. Then we sit together. How is his character? Does he fit the style of play? Does he fit into the locker room? And injuries in the past. All these kinds of things, the soft factors.”

Set-piece gripes and a changing landscape

Hurzeler has already risen to fifth on the list of longest-serving Premier League managers, with nine newcomers this season and six of last season’s top 12 finishers under new bosses. He was outspoken about Arsenal’s time-wasting and reliance on set pieces before and after a 1-0 defeat to the eventual champions in March, singling out goalkeeper David Raya for criticism.

With new laws rolled out from the World Cup — including five-second countdowns for goal kicks and throw-ins, and a temporary loss of an outfield player when a keeper takes treatment — Hurzeler warns set pieces could disrupt the push for faster football.

“When we introduce this natural time, when we try to make the game faster, every set piece will interrupt the game. So, it’s very important to keep the rhythm. Football is a game that attracts people, an event people pay so much money for to see their team playing in an exciting style, so they can go home and say, ‘Wow, I was entertained’.

“As a coach, I get judged by the result. That means I know how important set pieces will be to win games. But on the other side, we want to develop young players and have a clear style of play, and set pieces are not the biggest part of our identity.”

Challenging the establishment

The next step for Brighton is to disprove the norm that league form suffers with European distraction — they dropped from sixth to 11th when reaching the Europa League last 16 under De Zerbi. Hurzeler, who references “challenging the establishment,” is unfazed by the statistics.

“I read the statistics and I’m not a big fan of statistics. This will be our challenge this season: to be consistent throughout the season, and if we are consistent, we can prove this statistic wrong.”

Brighton face Norwegian side Tromso in the Conference League play-off round either side of Sunday’s opening Premier League fixture at home to Aston Villa.