I gave him too many answers!’ – Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou admits he ‘palmed off’ Fabian Hurzeler because new Brighton manager had ‘a lot’ of questions

The Brighton boss came to watch a training session at Spurs last season while he was in charge of German side St Pauli. Hurzeler has since moved to Brighton and the oldest manager in the Premier League is now rueing giving the division’s new youngest coach too much help. The sides face each other on Sunday knowing victory can put them in the European qualification spots.

• Getty Images

  WHAT POSTECOGLOU SAID

  Joking at his press conference, Postecoglou said: “He coached Jackson Irvine, who I had with the Socceroos, and reached [he] out to us and said ‘Fabian likes what you’re doing, can he come pay a visit?’,” said Postecoglou.

  “He asked a hell of a lot of questions and I gave him too many answers, that’s for sure. If I’d have known he’d be Brighton manager. I actually palmed him off at one stage because he was asking me too many, so I gave him to one of the other coaches.

  “You could tell he’s a real student of the game, he wanted so much knowledge. It’s probably a perfect fit for him because Brighton are a fantastic club.”

  • THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Brighton raised a few eyebrows when they announced the appointment of the 31-year-old as their new head coach. Hurzeler led St Pauli to promotion to the Bundesliga and the Seagulls identified him as their ideal candidate to replace Roberto De Zerbi. The US-born German has impressed and Brighton have lost just one game of their opening six, with that defeat coming last time out against Chelsea.

  • (C)Getty Images

    WHAT NEXT FOR POSTECOGLOU?

    After dominating Manchester United at Old Trafford, the Australian coach will be determined to kickstart Spurs’ season with another impressive victory. Winning at the Amex is no mean feat, however, and Spurs found themselves 4-0 down in this fixture last season before scoring two late consolation efforts to save some of their blushes.