Fabian Hurzeler is a young and upcoming American football manager who is currently linked with a move to take over Brighton & Hove Albion, find out more about him and his tactics
Hurzeler is currently one of the finest young managers in German football.
Who is football manager Fabian Hurzeler linked to Brighton, bio, age, height, tactics, formation and nationality
The upcoming American-born manager gained prominence after leading St. Pauli to Bundesliga promotion last season after winning the 2. Bundesliga.
Fabian Hurzeler bio
Fabian Hurzeler is a football coach and former player who was born on February 26, 1993, in Houston, Texas, USA. At the age of 2, his family moved back to Germany, where he spent his time growing up. He is currently the manager of the Bundesliga club FC St. Pauli, which competes in the second tier of German football. Fabian was born to a Swiss father and German mother and started out his footballing journey in the lower divisions of German football.
Age and height
Fabian is currently 31 years old and stands at a height of 1.83 m.
Fabian Hurzeler football career
As a footballer, Fabian mainly played for teams in the lower German league like Bayern Munich II, 1899 Hoffenheim II and 1860 Munich II. Notably, during his years in Bayern Munich’s youth team, he played alongside Emre Can. Interestingly, Fabian is also of the same age as Germany internationals Antonio Rudiger and Marc-Andre ter Stegen. However, he ended his professional playing career at the young age of 23.
Fabian Hurzeler managerial career
By 2016, Hurzeler moved down to join FC Pipinsried in the amateur ranks of German football. He joined the side in a player/head coach role and by 2018, he had taken up the job as an assistant manager of the Germany U20s and Germany U18s. Just two years later, Hurzeler became the new assistant at FC St. Pauli, under head coach Timo Schultz.
After Schultz’s dismissal on December 6, 2022, Hurzeler was appointed as the new interim head coach. He then obtained the role on a permanent basis just two weeks later, making him the youngest head coach in the 2. Bundesliga at the young age of 29. By April 2023, Hurzeler obtained his UEFA Pro License, aged just 30.
Fabian Hurzeler managed to take the club to great heights by leading them to the 2. Bundesliga title and securing promotion on May 12, 2024. Following his success last season, Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion have now set Fabian as their top target, with Roberto De Zerbi stepping down. If the young manager does make the move, he would become the youngest permanent manager in Premier League history.
His defensive system is very much zonal, structured in a fixed 5-2-3 or 5-4-1, depending on the height. The front three leads the line, sitting at the same height as the opposition’s midfield and the midfield two will sit just behind the three, forming a pentagon shape.