Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Chelsea have often plucked the best Brighton have had to offer. Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Joao Pedro and so many more – even Graham Potter. In the summer, Chelsea looked at Fabian Hurzeler.
Of course, Behdad Eghbali and Clearlake – now the club’s outright owners – managed to convince Alonso to become Chelsea manager and that was that. No more speculation, Chelsea convinced the Spaniard.
Plenty of managers were linked with replacing Liam Rosenior as Chelsea manager, prior to Alonso. The likes of Marco Silva, Oliver Glasner, Monaco’s Filipe Luis and of course, new Liverpool gaffer Andoni Iraola.
But Fabian Hurzeler was also considered by Chelsea hierarchy, and there might have been some truth in reports considering the amount of times Chelsea have raided Brighton. Here is how close they got.
How close did Chelsea get to Hurzeler after Arsenal masterclass
It has been two years since Brighton appointed the unknown German, who was younger than some of the players in his squad. But since then, Hurzeler has proven himself time and time again at Brighton.
On Saturday, Brighton produced arguably the best result of Hurzeler’s entire tenure. A stunning 3-0 win over Arsenal, which means Alonso’s Chelsea are the only side to have beaten Brighton during 2026-27.
But he could have been the man in the Chelsea dugout when the Blues went to the Emirates earlier this month, and lost 2-1. Chelsea liked the Brighton boss, even doing some background work on Hurzeler.
But it never became more than that. Instead of pursuing Hurzeler more than they did, they looked at Iraola, Alonso and Silva as three main candidates – before managing to convince Alonso to take the job.
Hurzeler was never leaving, he wants Brighton dynasty
After the links with Chelsea and the possible interest emanating from West London, Hurzeler put pen to paper on a long-term contract at The Amex in May. Any chance of doing a deal had quickly ended.
There is no doubt that down the line, Hurzeler is going to join a bigger club than Brighton – and that is no disrespect to the Seagulls. Hurzeler has lifted their ceiling when many thought it wouldn’t be possible.
Chelsea could have done a lot worse than hire Hurzeler, but does he have the managerial aura required to manage a club like Chelsea? Rosenior doesn’t, Alonso does – Hurzeler might do in a few years.