Burnley has returned to the Championship after failing to stay in the Premier League for the previous five years.

The Clarets are now without a manager following Scott Parker’s departure, leaving owner Alan Pace with some major off-field decisions to make ahead of the upcoming season.

Interim manager Mike Jackson oversaw the campaign’s conclusion, but it appears doubtful that he will be in the dugout when next season begins, with names such as Steven Gerrard and Russell Martin associated with the Turf Moor position.

A change in management will also result in a shake-up of the backroom personnel, as head coaches and managers prefer to choose their own assistants after accepting a job.

Interestingly, it appears that the personnel in the dugout next season will not be the only department seeing a summer shakeup, as a story has emerged indicating Pace is looking for a new head of football operations.

Burnley is likely to appoint Garth Lagerwey to help handle their football team.

Pace hopes to help Burnley re-establish itself in the Premier League after five years of alternating between the top tier and the Championship.

With that purpose in mind, the American is now preparing to make a key behind-the-scenes appointment, according to a report posted on writer Alan Nixon’s Patreon page Sunday morning.

Garth Lagerwey, Pace’s compatriot, is apparently set to join Turf Moor to help handle the club’s football side.

Pace knows Lagerwey from his time at Real Salt Lake, where he began his management career.

According to Nixon, the Burnley owner is trying to enhance other areas of the club, but feels Lagerwey’s arrival will be his biggest signing this summer.

Lagerwey just recovered from cancer, which is why he left Atlanta United at the beginning of the year, but he will be able to resume his role in Lancashire now that he has a clear bill of health.

Who is Garth Lagerwey? The man expected to become the brains behind Burnley’s football operations

Lagerwey’s name is not synonymous with English football, therefore Burnley fans could be forgiven for not knowing much about the guy who will be the driving force behind their football operations.

Lagerwey, born in Elmhurst, Illinois, was a two-time all-state goalie at York High School before moving to Germany in 1990 to join the SC Freiburg programme.

He returned to the United States two years later and went on to have a seven-year playing career, five of which were spent in the MLS, where he made 51 appearances.

Lagerwey rose to prominence in management after becoming Real Salt Lake’s senior vice president and general manager in September 2007.

Over a seven-year period, the former goalie was instrumental in the club’s success, helping them win the 2009 MLS Cup and advance to the finals of the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League and the 2013 MLS Cup.

Lagerwey later joined RSL’s conference rivals, the Seattle Sounders, in 2014, despite receiving other offers from MLS clubs. Following his arrival, the Sounders won two MLS Cups and the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League, earning him the Best Executive award at the World Football Summit that year.

Lagerwey joined Atlanta United as president and CEO in November 2022, leaving in July 2025 due to health difficulties.

Now, the 53-year-old is apparently preparing to try his hand at English football with Burnley to see if he can recreate his success across the Atlantic.