5 youngest managers in Premier League history
FC St. Pauli manager Fabian Hurzeler, who will replace Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi next season, will be one of the English Premier League's youngest managers to ply their trade in the division. The English top flight has had managers of different ages take the dugout to lead their teams, but few as young as Hurzeler. The Seagulls stakeholders will be hoping the young manager can bring new ideas for their team next season.
The Premier League is revered as the richest, best, and most exciting football league in the world. The teams that compete in the division are worth a fortune. As a result, the men given the top job in the division are often chosen for their relevant experience in properly running similarly sized franchises.
The appointment of Hurzeler, while set to be a breaking one, will not be the first time a team in the division has trusted in a young manager. There are a few examples of fresh-faced managers taking to the dugout. Here are the five youngest to do so before he arrives next season.
5 youngest managers in Premier League history
5th Youngest manager Andre Vilas Boas — 33 years, 9 months and 28 days (Chelsea)
Chelsea appointed Andre Vilas Boas in the summer of 2011 to replicate the magic they struck in 2004. The Blues were not the Portuguese tactician’s managerial debut, his introduction to management came with FC Porto.
The Blues imagined they had bagged the next Jose Mourinho following his dominant Europa League victory the previous season. However, it seems the West London side moved too early for him. He joined a team with many wily veterans and never seemed to have control of the squad given to him. He was sacked in the middle of the campaign.
4th Youngest manager Gianluca Vialli — 33 years, 7 months and 27 days (Chelsea)
Another appointment in West London! This time, it came in the 90s when the Blues had not become a dominant power in the league. Gianluca Vialli, however, had a better and much longer tenure than his predecessor on the list.
The late Italian set out to play an attacking and entertaining style of football with the West London side and his efforts bore fruit. He helped the side to League Cup glory and victory in the UEFA Cup. He was sacked in 2000 after a tough start to the campaign but is remembered fondly by the Chelsea faithful.
3rd Youngest manager Chris Coleman — 32 years, 7 months and 22 days (Fulham)
Yet another appointment in West London! More than a year younger than Vialli, the Welsh manager enjoyed a stint with Fulham that lasted over half a decade. The Blues do not appear on this list again (promise). Chris Coleman took over a struggling side and made them a stable team in the Premier League, bagging a top-half finish in his first season in 2003.
The Welshman played an attractive and attacking style of football, as is common with young managers. He is fondly remembered by the club's fans and his time in charge was one of the most successful in Cottagers history. He is considered one of the best managers in the league’s history
2nd Youngest manager Attilio Lombardo — 32 years, 2 months and 8 days (Crystal Palace)
See, we have left West London…and gone South. London clubs seem to be more comfortable hiring younger managers. The Eagles hired Attilio Lombardo in 1998 and he was the first Italian manager in the Premier League.
Lombardo’s short tenure with the Premier League side was almost universally seen as a disaster by fans of the South London side. He too tried to implement an attacking style at his club but failed to offer any defensive solidity alongside it. His tenure lasted six months, the shortest on the list.
Youngest manager in the league Ryan Mason — 29 years, 10 months and 8 days (Tottenham Hotspur)
Yes, the youngest manager to have managed a Premier League club in London, who is surprised? In 2021, Ryan Mason took over at his boyhood club at the age of 29, an age unlikely to be beaten anytime soon. The former midfielder came through the Spurs academy and made it into the club's starting lineup before an injury forced him to retire at 26.
He took the reins at the club after Jose Mourinho and provided stability till a new coach was appointed. Mason is still at the club as an assistant and is highly revered by the fans. He is 32 at the moment and if he gets a job in the Premier League next season, he would still break into an updated version of this list.