EXCLUSIVE: Brighton boss Hurzeler on the Premier League and gut instinct

The German has shown no signs of inexperience despite his age, with his side unbeaten from their opening five games, including a 2-1 win against Manchester United and a 1-1 draw away to title challengers Arsenal.

Hurzeler's managerial career began in 2016 as a player/manager with FC Pipinsried in the fifth tier of German football, where he oversaw promotion to the fourth division and caught the eye of the national team setup; being brought in as an assistant coach for their under-18 and under-20 sides.

After surviving once in the German fourth tier with Pipinsried before being relegated, the 31-year-old left to be named assistant coach at FC St. Pauli in the 2. Bundesliga - where he would eventually ascend to interim and then permanent manager in 2022.

His rapid rise would continue in the coming years, taking St. Pauli from relegation candidates to promotion winners over two seasons, prompting Brighton to come calling.

Despite some doubts, Hurzeler quickly decided to test himself in the Premier League.

"I'm a 'gut person'," he told Flashscore.

"And for me, the feeling in my gut always has to be right. When Brighton called, my gut said relatively quickly: do it!

"But of course, if you then weigh up the rational arguments, it might have been a 50-50 decision whether to stay at St. Pauli or move to Brighton. But for me, this gut feeling is always very important and based on that, I decided very quickly to take this step.

"On the one hand, I was convinced that I could do it together with my team. I am someone who does not like to stay in my comfort zone. I like to look for new challenges and then tackle them.

"Be it a new culture, a different language or simply another country. That is my attitude to life, always learning and tackling new challenges."

After replacing Roberto De Zerbi in the summer of 2024, Hurzeler quickly set about molding his Brighton team in line with the club's ongoing data-driven policy.

The Seagulls veer away from traditional scouting and find their targets around the globe based on data before taking a closer look at their personality and making a decision.

Over the last few transfer windows, Brighton have signed the likes of Julio Enciso, Simon Adingra and Kaoru Mitoma from relatively untouched markets - something Hurzeler has been impressed with.

"You have very special scouting here in Brighton," he said. "The owner, Tony Bloom, only scouts based on data. It was important to us that we strengthen ourselves in certain areas. But also to put trust in the team we already had. 

"Owner Tony Bloom, however, wanted to strengthen himself in certain areas. He then uses data and a certain algorithm to scout for the players he is looking for.

"A Zoom call or meeting is then organised with the player who has the data he is looking for. We want to get to know his character because he not only has to fit into the team in terms of football but also as a person."

That transfer policy has continued since Hurzeler's arrival, with Brighton spending a reported £192m on signings over the summer.

The Seagulls have once again targeted young players from left field such as Yankuba Minteh, Malick Yalcouye, Ibrahim Osman and Brajan Gruda while also supplementing those signings with more established players in the form of Georginio Rutter, Matt O'Riley and Mats Wieffer; although none of their arrivals are older than 24.

Despite having to get used to the big spending, Hurzeler has a positive outlook on Brighton's business and their long-term plan for the young additions to the squad. 

"You have to see that they were all very young players who came from another league," he said. "The Premier League is the best league in the world and the players need time. Time to adapt and get to know the league.

"It will take a while until the players can bring their full potential onto the pitch. We have to introduce them slowly, I am glad that the owner made these transfers. Of course, these sums are surreal for me too.

"Compared to St. Pauli, it was something completely different. But I am not someone who hides behind it or puts artificial pressure on myself because we spent so much. I am someone who also has ambitions and who probably puts the most pressure on himself. That is why these sums do not put additional pressure on me."

While Brighton's summer business was geared around recruiting young players, their squad still contains plenty of experience.

Lewis Dunk, James Milner and Danny Welbeck have amassed over 1,000 Premier League games between them and all three are older than Hurzeler.

That sort of dynamic is largely unheard of in football but does have its benefits, with Huzeler leaning on the more experienced heads to aid his management of the side.

Captain Dunk in particular knows Brighton better than anyone, having spent 14 years with the club, and has proved to be a valuable source of knowledge for the young manager.

"Well, I am someone who really enjoys talking to the players, especially the leaders. And he (Milner) is one of my leaders, as is Lewis Dunk," Huzeler admitted.

"I try to talk to them a lot in order to make use of their experience. I am not someone who says that he is perfect and knows everything.

"There are players here in the club, I can also judge that well, who have achieved much more in their careers than I have and who can help me with their experience. 

"I would like to involve them there and benefit from them. I want to have an open and transparent relationship with them so that I can discuss certain things with them. They are extremely important to me, not just on the pitch, but also off it."

After a strong start to the campaign, Brighton will need those experienced heads for a tough upcoming run of fixtures.

The south coast club face Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester City in five of their next six Premier League matches which represents quite the challenge for Hurzeler and his players - although the German isn't too worried.

"Every game in the Premier League is challenging," he said. "There are always different challenges. Of course there are a lot of big names. But I don't think we have to hide from any of the big names. 

"We obviously respect every opponent. But I think we have the potential to beat opponents like that."

Brighton are next in action against Chelsea on Saturday, September 28th, and could rise as high as second in the league with a win depending on results elsewhere.