Hürzeler, McKenna & Co. – The youngest managers in the top five leagues next season

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Hürzeler set to become Brighton boss 

Fabian Hürzeler’s signature at Brighton appears to now be just a formality, and the 31-year-old will soon become the youngest manager in the history of the Premier League. The American-born coach will also become the youngest ever boss in the top five leagues, although this would have been the case even if he had stayed at St Pauli due to their promotion to the Bundesliga under his stewardship. Hürzeler is one of many young coaches making their mark in Europe right now, and a look at the statistics indicates that young managers are more successful and more in demand than ever before on the continent.

Next season there will be ten coaches under the age of 40 on the sidelines of clubs in the top five leagues. In addition to Hürzeler, three coaches are new to their club: Will Still at Lens (31), Vincent Kompany at Bayern Munich (38) and Julian Schuster at Freiburg (39). While this is the latter’s first time as the main manager, the other two have earned the step to a better club through their own good work. Kieran McKenna may have also moved on this summer, with Chelsea one of the reported interested parties, but ultimately he extended his contract with Premier League newcomers Ipswich Town, after gaining back-to-back promotions with the tractor boys.  

Still has become a household name in international football, having taken an unorthodox journey into football management, inaugurating with being a fan who spent too much time in front of the “Football Manager” game. Stade Reims, where the Englishmen, who was born and grew up in Belgium, worked from October 2022 until May of this year, accepted a fine for every game due to not having the required pro license. They parted ways in May, and shortly afterwards Still signed a three-year contract with Europa Conference League participants Lens. At 31 years and eight months, he is only two months older than Hürzeler.

At 38 years and two months old, Kompany is the eighth youngest manager in Europe and has one of the biggest task of all the coaches mentioned ahead of him at Bayern Munich next season. After stints at Anderlecht and Burnley, the Bayern paid almost €12m for the Belgian, who was relegated from the Premier League with the Clarets last term. Even if Kompany was not the German giants’ first choice, the huge fee highlights how young coaches are becoming increasingly popular.

Two the teams promoted from the Championship did so with managers in their late 30’s. Ipswich’s Mckenna (38), and Southampton’s Russell Martin (38) will also now, excluding the arriving Hürzeler, be the two youngest managers in the Premier League next season. Once again, the new ideas and innovative tactical approaches of younger managers is paying dividends. One manager who perhaps set this precedent in recent years is Mikel Arteta, who is now 42 and fifth on the current list of youngest managers who will coach in the Premier League next term.

He took over the Gunners in disarray at just 38 years of age back in 2020, and has transformed the club in to one of the top European sides. Back-to-back second place finishes in the Premier League (missing out on the title by just two points last season) and the second highest squad market value in the world highlight the club’s progression under the young manager’s stewardship. Arsenal will of course still be hoping to go one step further and finally win a major trophy like the Premier League or Champions League under Arteta, but the progression is there for all to see and may ave inspired other clubs.

Both Gary O’Neil and Andoni Iraola (both 41) enjoyed successful first seasons with Wolves and Bournemouth respectively. Both clubs were tipped to be in a relegation battle, but secured comfortable mid-table finishes, playing exciting football to get there. Another example of young exciting managers making an impact. Even if we look down the English league system, League One champions Portsmouth won the league with a 38 year old manager in John Mousinho. There seems to be an evolution in approach from many clubs, moving away from recycling older tried-and-tested managers and taking a punt on younger coaches.