Fabian Hurzeler: Brighton head coach on Europe, ambition and challenging the Premier League establishment
Fabian Hurzeler has made his mark at Brighton, but after two eighth-placed finishes and a summer of change, the 33-year-old believes the club can take another step with a European campaign ahead; Watch Coventry vs Brighton this Sunday live on Sky Sports, kick-off 2pm
Thursday 10 September 2026 18:25, UK
When Fabian Hurzeler became Brighton's head coach, he set out a goal to "challenge the establishment". Two years on, has he?
"Last season we did it, maybe not through the whole season, but definitely we had a lot of great achievements," he told Sky Sports, with Brighton set to compete in Europe for only the second time in their history.
Beating Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool, criticising Arsenal and Mikel Arteta's style, clashing with Pep Guardiola and collecting a string of touchline bans - there has been little doubt about Hurzeler's impact over his two seasons in the Premier League.
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His passion in the dugout has become a defining feature of his proactive style, which has delivered consecutive eighth-placed finishes.
It has landed him in trouble, too, but that is nothing new. At St Pauli, he once collected seven yellow cards before February.
"It definitely won't change," he said. "I want to be a winner, I want to win things for Brighton, I want to achieve together with the fans something special."
The Conference League, which begins next month, gives Brighton another opportunity to turn their recent progress into silverware. They watched rivals Crystal Palace lift the trophy in May, but for Hurzeler, the challenge is less about matching them and more about proving Albion can compete on multiple fronts.
"We have high expectations of ourselves. We want to play a season the fans will always remember, but we have to see as a club that we are capable of playing a lot of games in a very successful way," he said.
"We always [talk] of making the next step, growing as a club, and therefore we have to show now that we are capable of being successful and achieving things without losing our style and intensity."
Hurzeler now has the fourth-youngest squad in the Premier League after a busy summer in which 11 players arrived, alongside the departures of established figures including Carlos Baleba, Jan Paul van Hecke, Danny Welbeck and James Milner.
It is a changed squad, but Hurzeler believes his age gives him an advantage in getting the best out of it.
"I want to be myself, I don't want to play a role, and my age definitely helps regarding understanding the players," he said.
"I always say I speak their language and I understand their thoughts, because it wasn't that long ago when I played. I didn't play on their level, but I understand their feelings, their thoughts, maybe their doubts, their fears, what every player has."
That understanding will be important as Brighton integrate another batch of talented young signings, centre-back Luka Vuskovic already proving a smart buy at £50m from Tottenham. Hurzeler trusts the club's recruitment model to deliver again - and his staff to get the best out of them.
He has overseen a victory, a draw and a defeat in their first three Premier League games of this season, having had more big chances (15) and a higher xG (7.4) than any other side while only Arsenal (24) and Man City (26) have faced fewer shots (33).
"It's now our responsibility to really integrate these new players. They are here for a reason, and we proved in the past that we have one of the best recruitment systems in the world, so they have potential and they will show this potential."
Hurzeler was a surprise appointment when he replaced Roberto De Zerbi, but two seasons in he is no longer the unknown quantity he was when he arrived.
The demands of the Premier League have helped shape him, too, from facing the best managers in the world to dealing with the pressure of a long season. But when things go wrong, Hurzeler looks closer to home.
"I can say that I'm a better manager now than I was before, but not only because I reflect on my mistakes; I reflect on my decisions, I reflect on my progress and my development," he said. "I have great staff around me, I have great experts, great support from all of my staff members and I have great support from my team and great personalities."
That approach was tested midway through last season, when Brighton won just once in 13 league games. Hurzeler did not look for someone else to blame.
"I'm not going home and blaming others. If we lose, it's my responsibility, and I reflect on my decisions, I reflect on the training week, so I really try to get better after every game, and that's how I do it."
He says Brighton eventually turned the run around by focusing on what they could control rather than results, maintaining their belief and demanding greater reliability from the players on the pitch.
The lesson was simple, but important for a team trying to challenge the Premier League's established order.
"In the Premier League you need to have reliability, in the Premier League you need to be really good in the small matches," Hurzeler said.
Hurzeler has committed himself to finding that consistency at Brighton, signing a new three-year contract in May. His decision was driven as much by his relationship with the club as by what he believes it can achieve.
"I see my future here, and that's why I extended the contract, because when I started here, it felt like I got integrated into a family," he said. "You don't leave your family, you want to achieve something with the family, you want to make the next step, you want to grow as a club, and therefore I want to be part of it."
He believes that the next step is still within reach.
"I still feel that the journey is not over, I still feel we are in the middle of a journey and we can achieve great things," he said. "I have this belief and now we have to show it."
Watch Coventry vs Brighton this Sunday live on Sky Sports, kick-off 2pm
