After replacing the combustible - but effective - Roberto De Zerbi in the summer of 2024, Brighton appeared to have selected his opposite in then-31-year-old Fabian Hurzeler.
The German arrived from helping St Pauli achieve promotion to the Bundesliga with big shoes to fill, with De Zerbi's Brighton frequently punching above their weight with their free-flowing, front-footed style. And aside from his multiple tattoos, which span the length of both arms, his chest, and his stomach, little about Hurzeler shouted.
Hurzeler has largely kept his head down and focused on imprinting his message on his players. The rewards have been quietly impressive, with back-to-back eighth-place Premier League finishes. But at the start of this 2026-27 season, the 33-year-old German manager has taken the side to the next level with the Seagulls justifiably perched in third place at the start of this game weekend.
The road there has been paved with some eye-popping results, with the free-scoring, free-wheeling side scoring four past Aston Villa, five against Crystal Palace, and three to stun the Premier League champions Arsenal, all without reply.
There have been bumps in the road, in the form of defeat to Liverpool clicking into gear under Andoni Iraola, a recent lacklustre turn in the Europa Conference League against Czech minnows Jablonec and being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Manchester City on penalties just three days ago. But the latter can be avenged quickly, with Brighton returning to the Etihad in league action on Saturday afternoon.
Here, Daily Mail Sport looks at Hurzeler's transformational summer ahead of what could be the strongest season of his spell at Brighton - and what happens when league rivals start eyeing him to takeover at bigger sides.
SWAPPING IDEAS WITH ANCELOTTI
While many involved in international football took in this summer's World Cup as fans, Hurzeler had a singularly unique experience alongside his own break Stateside after connecting with Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti.
The legendary Don Carlo has helmed international giants including Real Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, but working with Brazil in North American represented his first international tournament experience with a national team.
Hurzeler and Ancelotti were put in touch by the iconic manager's son Davide, who is also finding his way in management, and spoke at length over Zoom, where, Hurzeler told the Athletic, he was invited to join Brazil's World Cup camp.
While the finer details of the schedule kept Hurzeler from attending training, the duo did meet at Ancelotti's hotel, with Ancelotti sharing yet more valuable nuggets with the young manager.
'The funny thing was, we watched England against Croatia together,' he said. 'We just talked about football. He shared a few stories.
'For example, Luka Modric was on the pitch. He shared some stories about Modric, how he was, how he acted as a leader.'
GOING PUBLIC WITH A SOAP STAR
While travelling across the United States and taking in games both as a fan of his native Germany, and on analysis duty for talkSPORT, Hurzeler had a companion. German actress Anna Karolin Berger went public with her boyfriend in a sweet snap taken at Germany's win against Ivory Coast in Toronto, with the 34-year-old posting a picture with Hurzeler from the stands.
The soap star actress currently appears in long-running serial Sturm der Liebe (Storm of Love), and in light of her similarly high profile, both she and Hurzeler had previously kept their romance under wraps.
After sharing Hurzeler to her Instagram account in June however, the floodgates of public appearances opened, with Berger sharing pictures of the couple holidaying in Mauritius, taking in a Formula One raceday, and even posing at Brighton's home ground.
Berger shared a photo in August of her in attendance at the Amex for Brighton's season-opening Premier League match, a 4-0 victory over Aston Villa.
The actress captioned the image: 'no worries - I’m a keeper.'
But rather than a recent romance, Hurzeler and Berger had most likely kept shtum for some time, with the manager seemingly returning from the late-summer international break a married man.
Hurzeler was spotted wearing a wedding ring when the action returned after the three-week hiatus. But neither Berger nor Hurzeler has publicly confirmed the happy news - yet.
SECOND TIME'S A CHARM
Summer also allowed for a physical transformation for Hurzeler, although not his first. Shortly after his move to the Premier League in 2024, the former St Pauli manager joked on BILD's Phrasenmaher podcast that his primary similarity to fellow German manager Jurgen Klopp was that 'we both had our hair enhanced a bit'.
But ahead of the start of this season, Hurzeler may have wanted another enhancement, with the manager appearing on the sidelines of Brighton's pre-season clash with Roma sporting a freshly shaven head.
Fans speculated online as to whether Hurzeler might have returned for a second transplant, or merely removed his toupee - with the head coach understandably never confronting their theories directly.
Nearly four months on however, Hurzeler is back to his more-recognisable brown short-back-and-sides crop.
SO... WILL HE MOVE ON TO BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS?
As with any rising managerial prospect toiling at one of the Premier League's smaller clubs, as Hurzeler's side have grown in stature, so have rumours connecting him to some of the top flight's big beasts.
On the heels of the first transformational manager of Tony Bloom's tenure, Graham Potter, being pinched by Chelsea, Brighton's owner has been realistic about his chances of holding onto Hurzeler long-term.
'There are a lot of things one can worry about in the world, but losing a head coach or players is not one of them,' Bloom told the Athletic.
'Obviously, you really don't want to, but head coaches come and go, players come and go, but the football club is the one certain thing which will be here, hopefully, forever. So, there's no point thinking about these things.
'I think Fabian is very happy at the club; we're very happy with him, so long may that continue.
'I'm a very good sleeper. When I'm tired, I sleep. So I don't worry about these things. When there's a bad spell (of results), I still sleep well.'
Most recently, the loudest rumours have come from connections to crisis-struck Manchester United.
Although Michael Carrick remains at the helm for now, after a woeful start, members of the club's hierarchy have met to discuss the head coach's future, with results in desperate need of an uptick for him to cling onto his job past the upcoming international break.
Brighton have been among the clubs to hand Carrick's outfit a drubbing, with the Seagulls knocking the fallen giants out of the Carabao Cup on their first outing.
But should Man United wish to bet big on the league's hottest property, Brighton would likely slap a hefty price tag on their prodigal head coach, with Daily Mail Sport reporting that it could cost the Manchester club around £20million to prise him loose.
Nor might Hurzeler go willingly. As Bloom has stressed, the manager appears at home on the south coast, and he has just been treated to a bumper transfer window - with Brighton breaking their transfer record to lure talented young defender Luka Vuskovic from Tottenham.
Plus, Brighton sit a staggering 14 places above Man United in the Premier League table. With history-making Champions League football in their sights, Hurzeler might be forgiven for thinking he has the more tempting season ahead of him if he stays where he is.
READ MORE: How Fabian Hurzeler turned Brighton from 'nice guys' to Champions League contenders: His ruthless pre-season edict, the Austrian boot camp, an All Blacks guru, Bart Verbruggen's coffee club and the 'best squad ever'
Colito
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