Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler has revealed he spoke to the former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp on making it in the Premier League, however, he has dismissed comparisons between them.

Hurzeler came through the youth ranks at Bayern Munich, but he stopped his playing career at the age of 23 and entered coaching. After managing Germany’s U20s and U18s, he became Timo Schultz’s assistant at St Pauli in 2020 and took over the team in December 2022.

Hurzeler was highly rated in Germany after his exploits with St Pauli. He guided the club to the Bundesliga 2 title in the 2023/24 season by winning 20 of their 34 matches.

The 31-year-old is currently the youngest ever full-time manager of a Premier League side after taking over from Italian manager Roberto De Zerbi this summer on a three-year deal with Brighton.

He has overseen a smooth transition at the Amex Stadium, picking up 19 points from 11 games played so far to climb to sixth in the table. Before the November internationals, Hurzeler guided the Seagulls to a 2-1 comeback win over defending champions Manchester City.

The win helped Liverpool as they opened up a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Hurzeler’s potential and career path have often seen him compared to Klopp, but he spoke to BILD (h/t) Sports witness), the Brighton boss said it was too early to make those claims.

“In England I’m already compared to Jurgen – who we can leave alone because he was much more successful and had a unique career.” he said. “The only comparison that is true is that we both had improved our hair a little!”

“For me, Jurgen is the best coach when it comes to creating an identity for a club and all employees.” he added. “He described to me how consistently he acted and made tough decisions – it was very revealing.”

Klopp stepped down as Liverpool manager at the end of last season after a stunning nine-year spell on Merseyside. He led the club to several titles including the Premier League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, FA Cup and two League Cups.