When Paul Barber referenced “growing fan impatience across large parts of the football landscape” in his programme notes before Sunday’s game against their arch rivals Crystal Palace, the Brighton chief executive must have feared what was to come.
The clamour for change on the south coast that began as a murmur last spring after Fabian Hürzeler’s side had collected one point from four Premier League matches and been knocked out of the FA Cup in the sixth round has been steadily building ever since. Despite recovering from a slow start to this season, a second successive December without a victory has been followed by more disappointment in the first few weeks of 2026 to heap pressure on the German head coach’s slender shoulders.
Brighton were booed by a small section of away supporters after the last-minute defeat to Fulham on 24 January when they had led until the 72nd minute. The following week, some even pointed the finger at Hürzeler for bringing James Milner off the bench for his 652nd Premier League appearance as the reason Everton were able to score an equaliser in the seventh minute of stoppage time after six additional minutes had been announced. But the level of outrage that was directed towards the 32-year-old during the 1-0 defeat to Palace must still have come as a shock to Barber and Brighton’s owner, Tony Bloom.
Chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” started after a triple substitution that included the removal of the highly rated Carlos Baleba, even if the Cameroon midfielder was not enjoying his best afternoon. By the time the full-time whistle sounded, the Brighton supporters who remained at the Amex Stadium had progressed to “you’re getting sacked in the morning” as a sheepish-looking Hürzeler made his way down the tunnel.
“I think everyone can imagine how you would feel if 25,000 demand things and sing about you. So it’s not an easy situation,” he admitted. “But there are only two options; to give up or to keep pushing harder, and that’s always the option I choose in my life so far.”
It is understood there are no imminent plans to sack Hürzeler – who became the youngest permanent manager in Premier League history when he replaced Roberto De Zerbi in June 2024 – even if a run of one victory from 12 Premier League matches continues against Aston Villa on Wednesday evening. On Saturday night they are at Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round, having knocked out Manchester United last month.
Yet Hürzeler is running out of time to convince Bloom, Barber and the club’s sporting director, Jason Ayto, that he is the right man to take them forward after his position is reviewed at the end of the season. Ayto – who took over from the long-serving David Weir in September after a spell as Arsenal’s interim sporting director – will no doubt have noted Brighton’s tendency under Hürzeler to dominate possession in the first half of games before running out of steam. He will have a strong influence on whether he is given a third season at the helm, as will Brighton’s supporters.
Barber acknowledged that he is “aware of fan sentiment” in his Palace programme notes, although he was keen to stress that “there are 19 other teams in the Premier League, many with similar aspirations” to qualify for Europe. But having tasted that under De Zerbi, many have questioned the wisdom of persevering with such an inexperienced head coach given the heavy investment made since the Italian’s departure.
Brighton spent more than £200m on players in the summer Hürzeler arrived. The fact that none have been particularly impressive is perhaps evidence that Bloom’s famous algorithm is no guarantee of success.
Georginio Rutter, the £40m club-record signing, has scored two Premier League goals this season as Hürzeler has attempted to convert the Frenchman into a centre-forward, while £25m Brajan Gruda went back to the Bundesliga on loan after failing to nail down a starting spot. Meanwhile Matt O’Riley, who also cost £25m, was allowed to join Marseille in the summer on loan but is now back at Brighton for the rest of the season, along with club legend Pascal Gross.
Gross’s return from Borussia Dortmund adds even more experience to a squad that also contains fellow mid-to-late thirtysomethings Danny Welbeck and captain Lewis Dunk – who turned down a lucrative move to Nottingham Forest in January – not to mention the 40-year-old Milner. But a lack of elite players in their prime has been a factor in Brighton’s malaise, with João Pedro sold to Chelsea in the summer and Kaoru Mitoma only showing flashes of his ability so far under Hürzeler.
After their spending spree in 2024 Brighton again made a profit last season, thanks largely to the £60m they received for João Pedro. The Greek teenagers Charalampos Kostoulas and Stefanos Tzimas – brought in for a combined £50m – could prove to be shrewd investments, although the latter’s ruptured anterior cruciate ligament on his first Premier League start in December summed up the way things have been going for Hürzeler and has left him short of strikers.
After Liverpool, Brighton go to Brentford before hosting Nottingham Forest on 1 March on what could be another uncomfortable afternoon for Hürzeler if things do not improve quickly.
