The New York Times’ chief soccer correspondent Rory Smith, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club about Brighton’s fine start to the season under Fabian Hurzeler:
“The appointment itself was incredibly brave. If you look back, to say that Brighton, a top-10 Premier League club, were going to appoint a 31-year-old manager… it’s not that long ago that English football wouldn’t really have been ready for that idea, and he would have been chased out in about three weeks.
“He needed a good start. It would have been difficult for him if Brighton had got off to a rocky start and there would have been questions around the club about whether he was too inexperienced.
“He wasn’t like [Roberto] De Zerbi, who had managed in the Champions League when he came to Brighton. He had Serie A experience. Hurzeler hadn’t and was unusually young.
“But the way he’s taken to it has been remarkable, and he has had a lot of support from Brighton. I think they and Manchester United spent more than any other team in Europe, which is a big commitment for Brighton. Most of it was spent on young talent from unusual places.
“Brighton have a courage in the way that they work, but also they have a certainty. I think we underestimate how remarkable it is that Brighton are up there again because we’ve got so used to seeing Brighton in the top 10. It should still be impressive to see Brighton in the top 10 of the Premier League.”
Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds
