Brighton inch closer to appointing Fabian Hurzeler as their new boss… with the 31-year-old American set to become the YOUNGEST manager in Premier League history

Brighton and Hove Albion have moved closer to appointing 31-year-old Fabian Hurzeler as their new head coach after he was granted a work permit by the governing body.

His Bundesliga club St Pauli has been officially contacted and talks are progressing.

If all goes well, Hurzeler would become the youngest permanent head coach to ever perform in the Premier League.

Brighton have been looking for the right candidate to replace Roberto de Zerbi since the Italian left at the end of the season and have held talks with a number of contenders, including their former boss Graham Potter, Steve Cooper and Malmö’s Henrik Rydstrom.

Another target, Kieran McKenna, opted to sign a new contract with Ipswich.

The 31-year-old St Pauli boss has emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Roberto De Zerbi at the Amex

Texas-born Hurzeler has been at St Pauli for 18 months – since being appointed as the club’s youngest ever coach at the age of 29 – and has just secured promotion and return to the Bundesliga after a 13-year absence.

He had a lower league career with Bayer Munich’s reserve side, where he was team-mate to Borussia Dortmund captain Emre Can, and similarly at Hoffenheim and 1860 Munich, before ending his playing days aged just 23. He went into coaching and got his UEFA title. Pro license at 30.

Hurzeler visited Brighton last year to study De Zerbi’s methods and is a great admirer of the club’s methods.

He does not have a release clause in his contract at St. Pauli, but there was an agreement in place that allowed him to hold talks if a top club made an approach.