Latest news with #FabianHurzeler
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
'The owner keeps me busy, in a good way'
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler says the owner is keeping him "busy" during the off-season as they continue their work in the transfer Seagulls have already been active in the summer window, having signed three teenagers and 21-year-old defender Diego and the ownership will be looking to build on the German's first season in charge as they look to secure European football again having narrowly missed out in 2024-25 when they finished eighth in the Premier interest in a number of their key players, the club's work will not only focus on who they can bring in but who they can keep hold of and who may head out the door."The owner keeps me busy, in a good way," Hurzeler told BBC Radio Sussex during a charity walk for the club's foundation."I'm really happy to work. It is a lot of work to do - the preparation for the season and pre-season is very important."You need the right people, the right squad, so you need to do a lot of research, a lot of calls."I'm really happy we are working in detail, working to get the right people. The players we have signed already have great characters and great potential, and I'm very, very happy they have signed with us. I'm really looking forward to working with them."Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
After starting every U21 Euros match, will James Beadle seek a future beyond Brighton's bench?
James Beadle has dominated the gloves for England on their path to the final of the European Under-21 Championship, but will he ever get the same chance for Brighton & Hove Albion? Beadle maintained his 100 per cent appearance record in Slovakia during Wednesday's 2-1 semi-final victory against the Netherlands. Although caught out by a shot from 30 yards from Dutch substitute Noah Ohio for their equaliser, Beadle is likely to retain his place for Saturday's final against Germany. Advertisement In the group stage, he helped England secure a 3-1 win against the Czech Republic and a clean-sheet draw with Slovenia, before a 2-1 defeat against Germany. He has kept his spot for the knockout rounds, with the other goalkeepers in Lee Carsley's squad — Stoke City's Tommy Simkin and Chelsea's Teddy Sharman-Lowe — left on the sidelines as Beadle featured in a 3-1 quarter-final win against Spain. Beadle turns 21 in July. He is nine months older than England Under-21 colleague Jack Hinshelwood, who has already made 49 appearances in Brighton's first team, but has not made a similar impact for his club. Beadle is at a distinct disadvantage in aspiring to one spot where Brighton have an abundance of depth. Several players are contending for two spots in Fabian Hurzeler's side in Hinshelwood's preferred role as a central midfielder, but Hinshelwood is versatile. Ten of his 26 Premier League appearances last season were at right-back or left-back. Carsley has capitalised, using Hinshelwood in both full-back positions during the tournament in Slovakia. Beadle, on the other hand, is stuck with trying to shift Bart Verbruggen or Jason Steele. His situation has parallels with Carl Rushworth, who has run out of patience at the Amex Stadium. Rushworth has been on loan for four seasons in succession since signing for Brighton from his home town team Halifax Town — who play in the fifth-tier National League — in 2019. He has played more than 130 games on loan to Walsall in League Two (2021-22), Lincoln City in League One (2022-23), Swansea City in the Championship (2023-24) and Championship side Hull City in the first half of last season. Over the course of that period, Rushworth has been in England Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 squads. Under contract at Brighton until 2027, it has reached crunch point. The 23-year-old wants to leave this summer unless his chances of game time improve. With no immediate prospect of that happening, the likely next step for Rushworth is a permanent move to the Championship. Advertisement Beadle has been on a similar pathway to Rushworth on a series of loans since joining Brighton from then League One side Charlton Athletic in the January 2022 transfer window (Charlton were promoted via the play-offs back into the Championship last season). He spent part of the 2022-23 campaign with Crewe Alexandra in League Two, 2023-24 in League One with Oxford and then Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship following a mid-season switch. Beadle returned to Sheffield Wednesday in the second tier last season, making 38 league appearances out of a possible 46 — it would have been more, but he was left out by Wednesday manager Danny Rohl with eight games remaining due to a dip in form. He has become No 1 for England Under-21s after 19 appearances between under-15 and under-20 level. The 6ft 3in (190cm) 'keeper has a bright future, but whether that future is at Brighton for the long term — he is under contract until 2028 — and whether he will ever make a Premier League appearance for the club is open to doubt. The probable next step for Beadle next season is another loan to a Championship club, but at what point might he get itchy feet at Brighton? Verbruggen became firmly established last season as the No 1 under Hurzeler. At 22, Verbruggen is also the Netherlands' first choice under Ronald Koeman. He will be hard to dislodge, unless a big offer comes in from a bigger club, or he loses form or fitness. In any of those circumstances, Steele will be ready to step in. He shared the goalkeeper duties with Verbruggen under former head coach Robert De Zerbi. Steele, under contract until next summer, is regarded by Hurzeler as an ideal No 2. At 34, Steele is a respected voice in the dressing room, with more than 300 league appearances behind him for clubs including Sunderland, Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough. Rushworth was on the bench for 12 Premier League matches in succession from January as cover for Verbruggen during Steele's recovery from shoulder surgery. Tom McGill also spent time on the bench in the league last season when Verbruggen or Steele were unavailable. The Canada international signed a new two-year contract in May, after spending the first half of last season on loan to Milton Keynes Dons in League Two. The 25-year-old has been at the club since he was 14. Advertisement Congestion in the goalkeeper department at the Amex does not end there. Kjell Scherpen has spent the last two seasons on loan to Sturm Graz in Austria's Bundesliga, after temporary stints with Oostende in Belgium (2022) and Vitesse Arnhem in the Netherlands (2022-23). The 25-year-old, a former regular in the Dutch under-21s, has not made a competitive appearance for Brighton since signing from Ajax in July 2021. At under-21 level, Irishman Killian Cahill, signed from Shamrock Rovers in his homeland in 2022, has made a permanent move to League One side Leyton Orient on a two-year contract. The 21-year-old has been replaced by 18-year-old fellow countryman Michael Dike on a two-year deal from Treaty United in the Republic of Ireland's second tier. The stockpiling of promising goalkeepers fits Brighton's recruitment model of identifying players at low cost at a young age, then developing them in-house or via loans to a point where they either move into first-team contention or are sold on — often for a healthy profit. There is also the matter of movement in the goalkeeper coaching department this summer. Marco Knoop and Jack Stern left the club in June as part of an overhaul by Hurzeler that included hiring a specialist on set pieces. Jelle ten Rouwelaar has been targeted as the new goalkeeping coach, with the Dutchman's future in doubt at Leicester City. Ten Rouwelaar worked previously at NAC Breda in the Netherlands and Belgian club Anderlecht with Verbruggen. The intended appointment of Ten Rouwelaar appears to strengthen Verbruggen's hold on the No 1 spot at Brighton, so it could be some time before Beadle is in a position to emulate his rise with England at club level.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Diego Coppola, Brighton's new centre-back from Serie A: Here's what to expect
Before Brighton & Hove Albion's final home game of last season against new champions Liverpool, Fabian Hurzeler spoke about what he felt they needed to be shopping for in his second summer transfer window as head coach. 'The games just get more physical, more athletic, and that is where we have to take care also in our squad,' Hurzeler told reporters. 'No matter if it is someone in the last line — who might be full-back, centre-back — who has this physicality, or a No 6 (midfielder) who has this physicality. Advertisement 'It is not we have a lack in this or that position. It is more about: where do we get an add-on to our squad? Where do we see a potential player who can help us with physicality?' The recruitment department hope they have found that player with the signing of Diego Coppola from Verona of Italy's Serie A for €11million (£9.4m/$12.7m), on a five-year contract. The 21-year-old centre-half, 6ft 4in (193cm) tall, appears to epitomise Hurzeler's wish. Salvatore Bocchetti, who coached Coppola at Verona in their academy and as assistant manager of the first team, tells The Athletic: 'He is physically strong and reads the game very well, but he is also surprisingly quick for his size, a combination that makes him very effective defensively.' The chart below, which compares a player's performance in key metrics with their positional peers across the top five domestic leagues in Europe, gives a good idea of Coppola's strengths. He is a towering presence in the air (aerial volume and aerial success), but also effective on the floor when making challenges against dribblers (one-v-one defending). The low front-foot and back-foot defending metrics feel counterintuitive, but because Verona had so little of the ball last season while finishing 14th in 20-team Serie A (a league-worst 38.7 per cent), he was tasked with that responsibility more than most. Adjust for opportunity, and that effect dissipates slightly. Using data from Opta via Coppola made the most interceptions in Europe's top five leagues last season (72), ahead of Sevilla's Jose Angel Carmona, Patrick Mainka of Heidenheim (both 68) and West Ham United's Aaron Wan-Bissaka (66), which highlights his powers of anticipation. In possession, low returns for ball retention, pass progression and link-up play on The Athletic wheel chart above, with a high ranking for launched passes, reflect he was playing for a team who were more often than not under the cosh, losing 21 of their 38 league games and finishing with a minus-32 goal difference. They are all aspects of his game which are likely to improve at Brighton. Advertisement 'He is a strong player,' says Bocchetti, a former Italy international centre-back during a playing career which included spells with Milan (on loan from Russian side Spartak Moscow), Genoa and Verona. 'He is arriving in the best league in the world and joining a great club. I am sure, with his professional attitude and open mindset, that it will be easy for him to improve further. This is definitely a big step forward in his career.' Coppola built his reputation as a committed defender as he rose through the ranks of Verona's academy. He made his first-team debut in December 2021, shortly before his 18th birthday, and went on to make 85 appearances for the northern Italian club, scoring four goals. He was a regular last season, playing 34 times in the league as Verona successfully fought against relegation. He had two years remaining on his contract when Brighton, after negotiations about the structure of the package, concluded a deal last week. Coppola's signing coincides with a significant step up in his international career. He made his senior debut for Italy in the 3-0 World Cup qualifying defeat away to Norway earlier this month. That tough baptism up against Erling Haaland and company, playing next to Inter's Alessandro Bastoni on the left of a back three, was followed three days later by a late substitute appearance as Luciano Spalletti's reign as head coach ended with a 2-0 home win against Moldova. Coppola switched quickly from the seniors to representing the under-21s in the age group's ongoing European Championship finals in Slovakia. He played a full part in Italy's last two group matches, a 1-0 win against the host nation and a 1-1 draw with Spain. Carmine Nunziata's youngsters qualified for the knockout phase as runners-up behind the Spanish and faced Germany in the quarter-finals on Sunday. Advertisement A hectic campaign came to a frustrating and exhausting conclusion for Coppola as Italy, reduced to nine men due to red cards for Leeds United winger Wilfried Gnonto and Mattia Zanotti towards the end of normal time, lost 3-2 after extra time. Coppola was a commanding figure in the middle of Italy's back three in a goalless first half against opponents featuring his now Brighton team-mate Brajan Gruda on the right of Germany's attack. He demonstrated his defensive discipline twice to repel threatening situations by blocking shots inside his own penalty area. Booked 11 times for Verona last season, he was fortunate not to receive an early caution when he kicked the ball further away into touch twice in the same action — he would surely have been shown a yellow card in the Premier League. Coppola was disappointed with Nick Woltemade's equalising header in the 68th minute for Germany. He was beaten in the air from a corner by the 6ft 6ins Stuttgart centre-forward, the top scorer in the tournament with five goals. But he recovered from that setback and, with socks rolled down in extra-time, stood out in Italy's rearguard action with resilient defending and reserves of energy. He slumped to the ground inside the box when Nathaniel Brown struck in the 117th minute to give Germany victory. On the plus side, Coppola gets a few extra days to rest and recover before joining his Brighton team-mates in July for pre-season. Coppola is used to playing in different defensive setups. He played on the right of a back four and in the centre of a three for the under-21s in those group games. At Verona, he featured both as the central pivot in a three-man defence and in a four. That type of adaptability will surely be useful for Hurzeler. The move to the Premier League also provides Coppola with an opportunity to press his claims for further senior international recognition under Italy's new head coach Gennaro Gattuso as they try to qualify for next year's World Cup, having missed out in both 2018 and 2022. Hurzeler, returning to the theme of physicality in Coppola's signing announcement, said: 'He is still young, he is tall, strong and mobile, and he will give us a real physical presence.' Brighton saw off competition from among the big beasts of Italian football to sign Coppola. His move to the Premier League is not a surprise to Bocchetti. 'Some big Serie A clubs were also interested, but I think this is the best choice for him, and for Brighton too,' Bocchetti says. 'I'm very close to him, because I've seen him grow. I have nothing but good things to say about him. Advertisement 'Brighton have picked the right player, both on and off the pitch. He's humble, very professional and, despite being young, he already has a strong personality thanks to his experience in Serie A. I am confident he is already studying to improve his English. He is a very committed and focused person.'
New York Times
20-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Why have Brighton signed two very similar Greek strikers?
Brighton & Hove Albion have spent upwards of £50million ($67m) this year on two Greek teenagers that play in the same position in the front line. So, can Charalampos Kostoulas (left in top image) and Stefanos Tzimas (right) feature together in the starting line-up, or will head coach Fabian Hurzeler be choosing between them next season? Advertisement There are parallels between the Greece Under-21 team-mates in terms of their rapid rises, value and goalscoring. Kostoulas, 18, joins Brighton from Olympiacos on July 1 for €35m (£29.6m; $40.2m) plus €2m in add-ons. That is more than the fee of £20m plus add-ons paid for 19-year-old Tzimas from German club Nurnberg at the end of the January transfer window. Kostoulas contributed seven goals and two assists in 30 appearances in the Greek Super League (which Olympiacos won) and the Europa League last season (Olympiacos lost 4-2 on aggregate to Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in the last 16 of the competition). Tzimas's output was higher in the 2024-25 campaign — 12 goals and three assists in 23 outings — albeit at a lower level in Germany's second tier. Nurnberg signed Tzimas initially on loan from PAOK in his homeland before exploiting a buy option in the deal and then selling to Brighton. Both players are predominantly right-footed finishers, around 6ft (183cm) tall and have agreed contracts with Brighton until 2030. But enough with the similarities, how are they different? 'We play the same position, but I think we have different characteristics,' said Kostoulas, speaking to the club website last week after his signing was announced. 'He (Tzimas) is fast, he is strong, he is very smart on the pitch and off it. He is hanging around the goal every time. He wants to finish the actions, he wants to score.' Tzimas showed his poaching instincts when he scored for Nurnberg against Hannover in March (see clips below). When a shot from Janis Antiste deflected off Hannover goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler onto the crossbar, Tzimas reacted fastest to head in the loose ball from close range. The next set of clips shows how Tzimas pounced in a similar fashion against Karlsruher in January. He was ready to pick up the pieces when Julian Justvan had a shot parried by the visitors' goalkeeper, Max Weiss. Tzimas controlled the ball with his knee and scored with a looping header. Tzimas also showed the attributes of a No 9 when he was on target in March against Greuther Furth. He makes a run infield in anticipation of a pass developing into an opportunity. The failure of a Greuther defender to cut out the pass left Tzimas running into space one-on-one with the goalkeeper. He opened up his body to slot the ball past the advancing Nahuel Noll with his trusty right foot. 'The biggest difference is that Tzimas is an out-and-out No 9,' Greek football writer and podcaster Stephen Kountourou tells The Athletic. 'Kostoulas, meanwhile, can play anywhere in the attacking line and definitely feels more like a spiritual successor to Joao Pedro, if the Brazilian forward does leave this summer.' Advertisement The versatility of Kostoulas is highlighted by the different types of goals he has scored for Olympiacos, operating in different areas of the pitch. In the clips below, he came off the bench against rivals Panathinaikos to make a darting run that caught the visiting defence flat-footed as he headed in a free kick from Brazilian Rodinei, sealing a 4-2 victory. Kostoulas did all the work himself in a home game against Aris Thessaloniki in November. He pressed voraciously as the visitors passed the ball in a triangle near the halfway line. Kostoulas wins the ball in a tackle and makes progress towards the penalty area, evading a challenge from an Aris defender. Once he is inside the penalty area, he shows composure to equalise with a right-footed shot into the far corner. Kostoulas went on to snatch the points in the same game with a 96th-minute header. 6ft In the final set of clips, against Volos in December, Kostoulas points to where he wants the pass as he makes a diagonal run across the central defender 30 yards from goal. He shifts the ball with his left foot back onto his favoured right foot to plant a low shot past Volos goalkeeper Daniel Kovacs, who is fooled into thinking he is aiming for the opposite side of the net. Kostoulas has scored five goals in 15 appearances representing Greece in age groups from under-16 to under-21. Tzimas has netted 16 times in 32 outings across the same range of age groups. They are tipped in their homeland to soon be making senior appearances at international level. 'Both are explosive players when it comes to running,' says Kountourou. 'Both are good physically and seem not to shy away from worrying about scoring when it comes to the big moments, because they know they are still young and they have the time to develop. In short, they aren't afraid to make those mistakes, because they will try and try again.' Advertisement The striker options are currently in a state of flux for Hurzeler next season, amid doubts over the futures of Joao Pedro, Julio Enciso and Evan Ferguson. Danny Welbeck and Georginio Rutter are respectively strong options for the No 9 and No 10 roles, while Brajan Gruda showed in the latter stages of last season as the injured Rutter's replacement that he can also be in the mix. The additions of Kostoulas and Tzimas bring an intriguing dimension to Brighton's forward options for the 2025-26 campaign. Kostoulas said during his signing announcement: 'Stefanos is my friend. He is a very good guy, a very good player. We had some discussion about here and I can't wait to play with him on the pitch.' (Top photos: Getty Images)
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Festive schedule, final day - a rundown of Palace's standout games
After securing a draw at champions Liverpool last month, Crystal Palace will be looking to go one better when they host Arne Slot's men on 27-28 September. They then travel to Anfield at the end of terms of rivals Brighton, the Eagles host Fabian Hurzeler's side first on weekend of 8-9 November, with the return at the start of what about the schedule over Christmas and New Year? Well, Palace's four festive fixtures include home matches against Fulham and Tottenham and trips north to face Leeds and the Eagles will close their campaign against Arsenal at Selhurst Park on Sunday, 24 May 2026 - when all 10 matches will kick off at 16:00 at the fixture list, where do you think Glasner's side will be after 10 games? Have your say here
