Exclusive:'I had a chat with him' - Gus Poyet gives Brighton and Fabian Hurzeler verdict after Man United claim

Former Brighton boss Gus Poyet wants Fabian Hurzeler to finish the season with the Seagulls.

Hurzeler - who arrived from German club St Pauli in 2024 - has impressed at Albion with two eighth place finishes and qualification to the Conference League.

The German has started this season in fine fashion as Albion are third in the Premier League and are the leading the scorers in the division.

Hurzeler, 33, is one of the most in-demand coaches in world football and was recently linked with Manchester United as a potential replacement for the under-pressure Michael Carrick.

"It depends on the club and the next step," said Poyet to Sussex World via Players Time explained.

“Coaches are no different to players. It's very unfair when you are in a place and because you go to a bigger club, with no respect to Brighton, they say that you are not loyal. It's rubbish.

"It's an easy criticism. Brighton showed the world that either players or coaches come and go because that's how it works.

Timing is everything for Hurzeler

"It will be no different for Fabian. The most important thing for a coach is the timing. Is it the right time for him to go now, or is it the right time at the end of the season? It will depend on this season."

Poyet first met Hurzeler in Germany while he was building his reputation in the German second tier at St Pauli. Poyet was the manager of Greece at the time.

"I met him. I'm so lucky I met him when he was in Germany,” said the Uruguayan, who managed Brighton between 2009 and 2013.

"I had a Greek player in St Pauli. I had a chat with him and I liked him straight away. If you are a football player and you talk to him, you want to play for him. Simple as that. I was 55 years old.

"When he went to Brighton, funny enough, It was not a surprise for me. Because of the style. That's what Tony Bloom does. Bringing a coach with a specific style."

Bloom gambled on Hurzeler

Bringing Hurzeler to Brighton has a huge gamble at the time. The German was and remains the youngest ever permanent Premier League manager but it's a gamble that seems to be paying off.

"He's very young," said Poyet. "Still young. I'm not surprised. He can get a bigger club in terms of the name. Like winning a league or winning a trophy. I hope he stays. I like Brighton and I hope he stays the whole season.

"He seems to have settled in after he had that really bad patch last season."

Hurzeler had lengthy winless run at Brighton last term and a 1-0 home loss to Crystal Palace even had Brighton fans calling for Hurzeler’s dismissal.

The German though received backing from the club and has turned his fortunes around in impressive fashion. His connection with the fanbase has never been so good.

Tony Bloom knows

Poyet added; “That is also the way that Tony Bloom works. He's not the kind of guy where he hears criticising from the outside and he's going to go and sack the coach. No.

“He knows because of his recruitment system, players and coaches, what he's going to get. He practically knows. It's unbelievable.

“He kind of said to you before the start of the season, where more or less you're going to finish with a normal season.

“He's so confident in his recruitment and his analysis that he will never take that decision to get Fabian, to go away or to sack him.

“But now the problem is the other side. Now you're doing so well. Try to keep him. I read something. I don't know if it's true or not. But probably his [Huzeler’s] compensation package is quite big.

“I'm not surprised with Tony Bloom making that agreement. Let's see what happens in the future.”