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

Feargal Brennan

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

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.

ManagerAgeYearClub
Ryan Mason29y, 312d2021Tottenham
Fabian Hurzelzer31y, 173d2024Brighton
Attillio Lombardo32y, 67d1998Crystal Palace
Chris Coleman32y, 312d2003Fulham
Gianluca Vialli33y, 227d1998Chelsea
Andre Villas-Boas33y, 301d2011Chelsea
Ruud Gullit33y, 352d1996Chelsea
Kevin MacDonald34y, 1d1994Leicester City
Alex Neil34, 60d2015Norwich City
Stuart Pearce34, 241d1996Nottingham 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.

Feargal Brennan

Feargal Brennan Photo

Feargal is a content producer for The Sporting News. He has been working with TSN since the start of 2022 after stints with Reach, Amazon UK and Squawka in a nomadic career in the football media pyramid. Always with a keen eye on Arteta's 'Reds' and Kenny's Ireland 'Greens' and a 100% five-a-side penalty record.