Youngest managers in Premier League history: Full list of youngest coaches to take charge in EPL, including Fabian Hurzeler

2024-08-24
4 min read
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The 2024/25 Premier League season features plenty of changes with all 20 clubs — except perhaps Liverpool — having been busy in the transfer market throughout August 2024.

However, alongside the excitement of new faces on the pitch, there have also been some updates on the sidelines with managers coming and going in the chaos that is the coaching rollercoaster of England's top league.

Brighton & Hove Albion moved quickly to make a change following the departure of Robert De Zerbi at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, with the club continuing their policy of hiring highly rated young coaches.

Texas-born Fabian Hurzeler has now taken charge at the AMEX Stadium with the 31-year-old raising some eyebrows as he becomes the youngest current manager in the Premier League.

MORE: Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings

Youngest managers in Premier League history

At the age of 31 at the time of his appointment, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler is the youngest manager in English Premier League history, at least among those to be hired by their clubs on a permanent basis.

However, if you also take caretaker managers into account, the German-American coach comes in at second on the youngest overall Premier League manager list. Ryan Mason holds the record, after taking interim charge of Tottenham in 2021 aged 29.

List of youngest managers in EPL history

The below list includes both permanent managers and interim/caretaker hires.

Manager Age Year Club
Ryan Mason 29y, 312d 2021 Tottenham
Fabian Hurzelzer 31y, 173d 2024 Brighton
Attillio Lombardo 32y, 67d 1998 Crystal Palace
Chris Coleman 32y, 312d 2003 Fulham
Gianluca Vialli 33y, 227d 1998 Chelsea
Andre Villas-Boas 33y, 301d 2011 Chelsea
Ruud Gullit 33y, 352d 1996 Chelsea
Kevin MacDonald 34y, 1d 1994 Leicester City
Alex Neil 34, 60d 2015 Norwich City
Stuart Pearce 34, 241d 1996 Nottingham Forest

Who is Fabian Hurzeler?

Premier League fans can be forgiven for not knowing too much about Hurzeler following a season and a half in charge of German second-tier side St. Pauli. After stepping up from assistant coach to replace Timo Schultz midway through the 2022/23 season, Hurzeler hauled the team away from relegation danger and led the team to promotion back into the Bundesliga for the first time since 2011 a year later.

That ability to maximise his resources and give St. Pauli a chance to battle with the big boys played a key role in Brighton's decision to bring him in.

You can read more about Hurzeler's career and playing style here.