Hurzeler has, however, emerged as a notably abrasive figure during his first season in English football and in November, he was involved in a fiery altercation with Russell Martin, the then Southampton boss, who accused his rival of a lack of respect following the two clubs’ 1-1 draw.
Finally, when asked at the end of his press conference whether he also considered Hurzeler a “top manager”, Maresca simply smiled and said: “Thank you very much.”.
Enzo Maresca has stoked tensions ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Brighton on Friday night with a bizarre series of answers about Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler.
Maresca’s countryman left Brighton at the end of last season, after almost two years in charge, and was linked with the Chelsea job before taking up his current post at Marseille.
Later, when pressed on whether he had not been impressed by Hurzeler’s work on the south coast, Maresca instead paid homage to former Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi.
