Burnley set to appoint Frank McParland as new director of football

McParland, who worked with manager Sean Dyche at Watford, has recently left a similar post at Championship club Brentford, and is expected to start his new role imminently.

He was Liverpool’s chief scout from 2003 to 2007, and became general manager at Bolton Wanderers before joining Watford as chief scout.

He returned to Anfield in the summer of 2009 to headed up the Academy, scouting and developing talent, before leaving the club in 2013.

And as Burnley prepare for a key summer in terms of recruitment, they have been linked with Hibernian strike pair Jason Cummings and Dominique Malonga.

McParland’s appointment could mean a restructuring of the club’s recruitment department, leaving the future of head of recruitment and analytics Lee Darnborough up in the air.

Darnborough remains in situ at Turf Moor, having joined the club in late 2012 under Eddie Howe in a similar role he performed at West Brom.

But before Darnborough started work, Howe left to return to Bournemouth, and subsequently had his appointment backed by incoming boss Dyche.

Darnborough’s remit included recruitment, transfers, contract negotiations and performance analysis, backing up Dyche and chief executive Lee Hoos, who has since left to join QPR as CEO.

After no signings were made during the January 2013 transfer window, Dyche landed Fulham and Sweden wideman Alex Kačaniklić on loan in the March.

Following the sale of Charlie Austin that summer, the club struggled to land a striker to back up Danny Ings and Sam Vokes, with only Ryan Noble – who left for Gatesheadin January 2014 – as competition.

Burnley also went through the season with only Dean Marney and David Jones as out and out central midfielders – a situation which essentially remained the case in the Premier League campaign.

Following summer recruitment which bolstered the squad, if not the strength of the first team itself, Michael Keane was the only January signing, ’turning his loan move permanent.