BURNLEY have appointed American Lee Hoos as their new chief executive, after Paul Fletcher last month announced his decision to step down.

The 50-year-old American has previously held the role at Southampton and Leicester City, following eight years on the board at Fulham.

Hoos, who begins work at Turf Moor next Tuesday, said: "It's a privilege to be named as Chief Executive of Burnley Football Club and I am absolutely delighted to be joining a club that, in my opinion, is going places.

"Burnley has an excellent Board of Directors and, as a long standing admirer, a very, very good manager in Eddie Howe.

"I know the people - and chairman Barry Kilby in particular - because I have been in football here for a while now and when I heard about the opportunity to work here it was a chance I couldn't pass up.

"I come here with high hopes and the number one priority has to be to get this club back into the Premier League.

"That's the shared vision of everybody at the club and in my opinion everybody has a part to play.

"Burnley has already shown that can be achieved and there is no reason at all why we can't get back there again."

Hoos, who becomes the club's first overseas Chief Executive, first worked in the UK under Mohamed Al Fayed, initially in an executive role at Harrods and then in the boardroom at Fulham following their promotion from the old Division three in 1997.

After spending over eight years at Craven Cottage, he joined Southampton as Chief Executive in 2006 and oversaw troubled financial times at the south coast club.

Mr Hoos then joined Leicester City as CEO in 2008 and was at the helm at the Walkers Stadium during a period of shifting fortunes for the Midlands' club.

During his time with the Foxes, he helped new Thai owners to adapt following their takeover of the club, before being involved in negotiations to employ former England coach Sven Goran Eriksson and Nigel Pearson as managers.