Fabian

Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said Hurzeler’s “principles and approach align with our values as a club” and the new deal “reflects our commitment to a shared long-term vision”.

“Since his appointment, Fabian has continued the progress the club has made in recent seasons with consistent on-pitch performances, and he has developed a clear playing identity,” he added.

“This season, he has built on the foundations laid during his first season in which he led us to an impressive eighth place.

“During his time as head coach the team has shown resilience, intensity and control. With three games to play we are pushing for a strong finish.”

Hurzeler became the youngest ever full-time manager of a Premier League team when he replaced current Tottenham boss Roberto de Zerbi, who left Brighton at the end of the 2023-24 season.

The club’s only campaign in continental competition was in the 2023-24 Europa League after De Zerbi led them to a sixth-placed top-flight finish.

That was the highest in Brighton‘s history and Hurzeler now has the chance to match that feat, with his side just two points behind Bournemouth in that position.

There is also an outside chance that finishing sixth could result in a Champions League spot for next season.

Brighton still have a mathematical chance of overtaking fifth-placed Aston Villa for a definite Champions League qualification place, but are eight points behind Unai Emery’s men.

Hurzeler came through the youth ranks at Bayern Munich but cut short his professional playing career at 23 to go into lower-level coaching.

He later became assistant coach at St Pauli in 2020 and took charge of the team in December 2022, before leading them to the Bundesliga 2 title in 2024.

Hurzeler had been linked with a return to Germany, with reports, external of interest from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.

Watching junior right-hander Fabian Bravo of Sun Valley Poly High pitch for the first time, there was something strangely familiar about his windup.

When he turned his back to reveal he was wearing No. 32, everything made sense.

He had to be a fan of Sandy Koufax, the 1960s Hall of Fame left-hander for the Dodgers.

Two friends sitting next to me refused to believe it.

“No way,” one said.

“Kids today have never heard of Sandy Koufax,” another piped in.

Only after Bravo threw a three-hit shutout to beat North Hollywood 3-0 was my belief vindicated.

“I come into the back with my arms and it’s a little bit like a Sandy Koufax kind of thing,” he said. “I wear 32 too. He was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers and was good in the World Series.”

Koufax was perfect-game good on Sept. 9, 1965, against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium, striking out 14.

Bravo started learning about No. 32 when his parents would bring him to Dodger Stadium as a young boy.

“I always saw No. 32 retired on the wall,” he said. “Once I got to know him, I was able to see who he really was. I felt I could really copy him and get myself deeper into history.”

Bravo is no Koufax in terms of being a power pitcher. He’s 5 feet 10 and 140 pounds. Since last season, when he changed his windup to briefly emulate Koufax’s arms going above his head, he has a 12-3 record. This season he’s 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA.

“I saw his windup and he looked like he was calm and composed and I tried it. I felt more of a rhythm. I was able to calm down and pitch better,” he said.

After Bravo’s arms go up over his head in his windup, he also does a brief hesitation breathing in and out before throwing the ball toward home plate.

“My dad always taught me to breathe in, breathe out before I do anything,” he said.

Nowadays, teenagers seemingly don’t pay much attention to greats of the past, from old ballplayers to Hall of Fame coaches. Ask someone if they know John Wooden, kids today probably don’t. He did win 10 NCAA basketball titles coaching for UCLA. And who was Don Drysdale? Only a Dodger Hall of Fame pitcher alongside Koufax from Van Nuys High.

Bravo is fortunate he’s seen Dodger broadcasts mentioning Koufax at the stadium and on TV, motivating him to learn more, which led to seeing his windup on YouTube.

His older brother also wore No. 32, so no one was getting that uniform number other than a Bravo brother at Poly.

There is another Bravo set to arrive in the fall. Julian Bravo will be a freshman left-handed pitcher and wants No. 32.

“While I’m there he’s going to have to find a new number,” Fabian Bravo said.

Julian might also want to help his big brother gain a few pounds at the dinner table.

“My brother takes food from me,” he said.

As for recognizing Bravo’s Koufax connection, it was No. 32 that provided the clue. How many pitchers in the 1970s were choosing No. 32? A lot. And it’s great to see a 17-year-old in 2026 paying tribute to one of the greatest pitchers ever.

Emulating Koufax is hard, but forgetting him is unforgivable.

Fabian Edwards’ wait for a world title goes on after he loses against Costello van Steenis, who successfully defends his PFL middleweight title with a third-round knockout in Madrid.

READ MORE: Van Steenis ends Edwards’ title dream again

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Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler believes his side “controlled the game” in a “deserved” win as they beat Sunderland 1-0 at the Stadium of Light to move up to 10th in the Premier League.

MATCH REPORT: Premier League – Sunderland 0-1 Brighton

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