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Hurzeler agrees new long-term deal with Brighton

BBC Sport

Fabian Hurzeler replaced Roberto de Zerbi at Brighton in June 2024 Brighton have agreed a new long-term contract with head coach Fabian Hurzeler.

Fabian Hurzeler replaced Roberto de Zerbi at Brighton in June 2024 Brighton have agreed a new long-term contract with head coach Fabian Hurzeler. The 33-year-old German still has 12 months to run on his current deal at the Amex Stadium but will sign terms to extend his stay on the south coast. Hurzeler arrived at Brighton at the start of last season following a successful spell at St Pauli.

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Brighton appointed Hurzeler at the age of 31 in June 2024, making him the youngest ever full-time boss of a Premier League team. He arrived to replace Roberto de Zerbi, who left at the end of the 2023-24 season and has recently become Tottenham 's new head coach. Hurzeler led the side to an eighth-placed finish in his first season in charge, though Brighton missed out on European qualification because rivals Crystal Palace won the FA Cup.

Brighton 's only Uefa campaign to date was in the 2023-24 Europa League after they finished sixth in the 2022-23 Premier League under De Zerbi, who succeeded Graham Potter earlier that season when the Englishman left for Chelsea . That was the highest top-flight finish in Brighton 's history and Hurzeler has the chance to match that feat, with his side two points behind Bournemouth in sixth. There is an outside chance that finishing sixth in the Premier League this season could result in a Champions League spot.