Every word from Fabian Hurzeler ahead of Everton test

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The head coach will be aiming for his team to end January with a win.

2026-01-30T13:30+00:00

Fabian Hurzeler's team are 12th in the Premier League heading into this weekend's game against Everton. 📸 by James Boardman.

Fabian Hurzeler discussed the passing of Rado Vidosic in his press conference on Friday morning, as well as squad availability ahead of Saturday's game against Everton.

We learnt of the sad passing of Rado Vidosic earlier this week. What tribute would you like to pay to him?

Rado Vidosic. 📸 by Paul Hazlewood.

I feel very sorry for Dario and for his family. I was in touch with him and I said to him that I really appreciate that the things his father gave to the club. His passion, his love, he was always there. He was always fully committed. So it was a pleasure to work with him. We all feel for him and we will give him all the time he needs. I know that Dario loves football as much as his father did. So I hope that he comes back stronger and will enjoy working with us and for Brighton.

Thank you for that. Ahead of tomorrow’s game, are the any fresh injuries?

No new injury news. We have the same squad available and no new injury concerns. Diego Gomez had a small issue in training, but let's see if he can train fully today or not. That's the only concern we have. Of course, Diego Coppola has gone out on loan. But beside that, we have the same squad.

Tomorrow’s match feels like a big game. In order to achieve your targets for the season, do you need to start picking up wins as soon as possible?

Definitely. We always need to win games. The recent performances were good. There's a lot of frustration about the results. We have tried to channel the frustration during the week. I saw a really good reaction from the team. We are really positive, I really enjoyed this week. I really enjoyed working with the group. We all know that we have expectations. We all know that we want to reach our goals and for that we need wins. We need to stick together and tomorrow is a great opportunity to do that. We're all very positive. We know the expectations on us and what we expect from ourselves. We want to fulfil them. We want to fulfil them most of all for our supporters. We can't promise a win, but what we can promise is commitment and maximum effort. I see the group working and showing a great reaction. We go with a really positive feeling into this game tomorrow. We are all positive because we see that we are close. We see that we are there. We just have to manage the key situations of the game better. We just have to manage these key moments better. We want to give the win to the fans, it’s what they deserve. definitely.

There’s a very small section of the fans who are maybe showing some level of frustration, do you understand that? Also, the Everton game at the Amex last season, they showed their ability to frustrate…

I understand the frustration, but for me it's very important they’re frustrated with me. The players are a hundred percent giving everything that they have. They try to give their best performances in every game, they try to go to their limits. They try to push the standards, they try to reach the goal. So I really hope that they get the support they need because, like I just mentioned, there’s been a great reaction, a great positivity, a good atmosphere during the week. They're all looking forward, but they're also frustrated about the results. We know that we are close and we feel it. We see that we can reach our goals and we promise that we give everything and then we’ll see what we get out of it. But I definitely understand – in football it's about results and emotions. It's part of the game, so I have to deal with it and I will deal with it, but we are all looking forward to this and we are all quite positive.

The transfer window closes in three days. You mentioned Diego Coppola already going to Paris FC. When he came in, did you see him generally as more of one for the future?

We definitely saw him more for the future. He has had an incredible start to his time here. He has an unbelievable attitude and I have really enjoyed working with him. I think now it's about improving the small details regarding his game in possession. I'm definitely looking forward to working with him here because he has big potential and we can see him being a big player for us in the future.

Igor is back. Is he available this weekend?

Yes, he will be available for this weekend.

It seems like a very competitive area, the centre back area. There's been reports linking Brighton with Charlie Cresswell. Is centre back an area you’re looking at to improve or potential succession planning in the future?

There’s a lot of rumours. Now we really should focus on the short-term future, that we try to make the best decisions for the players, for the club and then try to get good results. That's the main focus from us and from me as well – to try to get this win tomorrow for the fans. That's the only focus we have at the moment.

Talking about the short-term future though in this window, there are reports that a bid has been turned down from Nottingham Forest for Yasin Ayari. Have you spoken to him about it? What's his mindset like at the moment?

Yasin Ayari scored in the 2-1 defeat to Fulham. 📸 by James Boardman.

I'm not going to talk about speculation. I really enjoy working with Yasin. He really enjoys working with us. I think he has made great development so far. He’s a bright player.

If something happened to Danny Welbeck, for example, it would leave you short of a recognised number nine. Can you completely rule out Evan Ferguson coming back? Do you think you could get someone in on Monday?

I can't rule out anything during the transfer window because it’s football and everything is possible. But we still have a good replacement with Babis Kostoulas. He has proved it now in several games that he can be a really good striker. We have a lot of players in the position. So therefore I think the squad is full of potential, full of quality, full of options. I can't rule out anything, but I already emphasised it several times, I'm really happy with the squad.

What can you do to get the best out of the team you have at the moment?

Keep working hard, keep improving, keep showing the right attitude. They have channelled their frustration, they have shown a great reaction. They stick together, especially in these phases. I think we already had worse phases last season. But what we always show is togetherness. We always show that we stick together and we always show a great reaction. That's what we to do again. In football you never can promise wins. If we focus on the performance last weekend against Fulham, everyone expects us to win after this performance. But in football things can change quickly. So you can't promise wins. But what you can promise is full effort, full commitment, to push your limits, to have togetherness on the pitch and that's what I can promise for tomorrow. Then I'm sure that we have a big opportunity to win this game. Then we are all quite confident that we can reach our goals at the end of the season because I see how the team is working. I see the improvements, the developments in the end. We all get judged by the results, but I can promise at the end of the season we will be where we want to be because I see the group working hard. I will take responsibility for the performances, for the results. But I also say that the group are really positive that we will get what we want at the end of the season.

Earlier you referenced the frustration and you said that you understood it amongst the fans. There was also some conversation over Carlos Baleba coming off and being replaced by James Milner – understandably, he's probably tired as it has been three months since he played a full 90 for you, but what was your thinking behind that decision?

Carlos Baleba started against Fulham last season. 📸 by James Boardman.

He was just tired. He came to the bench and said ‘I'm exhausted, I can't go on’. And then we had to make a change – that's normal in a football game. It's really important to let the emotions be part of this game, to share your opinion and to be honest about the performances and the decisions from the head coaches. But I think sometimes it's also important to understand the background, to understand some of the reasons behind that. That was the only reason why we took him off because he was tired and exhausted. I think it's better to have a fresh player on the pitch.

There's been plenty of pictures of Solly March in training on the grass with the first team recently. Is tomorrow the first time in a while that we see him in a match day squad?

Solly March will not be in the matchday squad for the weekend's game. 📸 by James Boardman.

No, not yet.

Too early?

Yes.

In terms of when you think he may be in a squad, is that soon?

I hope so, but it's really difficult to predict that.

Everton have been a difficult opponent for Brighton over the past few seasons. How do you see them so far?

They’re difficult to beat. We need patience. We need good positioning. We need good decision making as a team. They have a lot of experience in their squad. They have a lot of players who know how to win Premier League games. We have to manage the key actions in the game, the key situations better regarding these kind of opponents. But then we are very confident as well that we can outplay them, that we can create chances against them and we just go there and try to win it.

You've spoken previously about the importance of the home fans. Obviously there is a little bit more pressure on at the moment. Have you done anything differently this week?

No. We don't try to overreact or do unpredictable things in a phase like this. In a phase like this, you have to stick together. You have to focus on the easy things, and less is more sometimes. We never take the support from our fans for granted. We are very pleased, I'm very pleased for the support we get away, like against Fulham. They were there and also help us in our home games. They're there and helping us. I understand the frustration sometimes, we all want to win, especially they want to win because they spend so much money and so much time on us. They want to enjoy the win at the weekend, and it's our responsibility to give that to them. We'll give everything for them, but we didn't change anything because I'm also quite convinced that we are on the right way. I am convinced that the small margins will make the difference. We are all very positive that at the end of the season we are where where we should be. And for that we all work, but we stick to our principles and especially I stick to my principles. I will never overreact when we have a good phase of a lot of wins and I will never overreact when we have a bad phase. I will keep going. I will keep doing everything for this club and for my players and then I'm a hundred percent convinced that we get what we deserve.

How’s Brajan Gruda?

Brajan Gruda is fit to face Everton. 📸 by Paul Hazlewood.

He's better. He's back in in training and he will be an option.

What's he got to do over the next year or so to develop, to get to a point where big clubs might even be considering him? He's so early on his journey at the moment.

The biggest difference between a very good player and a top, top player is consistency. So not being a player with good moments, being a player with good performances over 90 minutes. That's the key bit. With Brajan and the other young players we have to work on consistency during the match and that’s the key bit that we are working with him on.

You mentioned about players coming in, what about players going out? Obviously Diego's gone. Is Tommy Watson still likely to leave on loan for the rest of the season?

It's an option for him, but it's not a hundred percent done. We still have to be patient. But definitely he's a player that might go out on loan.

It was quite a fiery encounter at the Amex last season and a narrow defeat. They've got a very strong, physical side as well. Is that a key element of the game tomorrow?

I think it's very important against Everton. But it's very important that we stick to our principles, to our style of play because we are a good football team. Of course, they're very physical and they play with a lot of maturity.

But in the end, it's very important that we stick to our principles, that we try to control the game, that we are convinced of what we are doing and try to do. Not adapt to their style of play. Try to really push our principles and our style of play on the pitch. That's the key bit. What I demand from my players is that we push ourselves, that we push our limits, our standards, and then I'm quite convinced that we have a big chance.

Your first ever game was against Everton. Does that seem like a long time ago? Do you draw on it at all for motivation?

It's definitely long ago, but it's a nice thing to remember. I would take the same result tomorrow, definitely. But there were good phases, some bad phases and I really enjoy these kind of phases as well because if everything is going well you won't develop as a person, you won't develop as a coach. Especially now in these phases. It's about me taking responsibility for these kind of things. Taking ownership. Being there for the player, being there for the club, and also for the fans. And that's what I will do. I won't hide. I will go for it. I think in these phases that you really grow. That's what I'm looking forward to. So I'm not hiding from these challenges. I'm going towards them and I will enjoy them because it's part of football. But definitely, these kind of wins will help you to have a good feeling, that's also part of the truth. So we will try with everything tomorrow.