BURNLEY’S newly appointed general manager Matt Williams believes he is coming to a club that is capable of getting back to the top flight, and staying there.

The Clarets will welcome the Shrewsbury Town chief executive, and former Blackpool secretary, on February 1, 2016.

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He had a season in the Premier League with the Seasiders, the year after Burnley went up and came straight back down.

The Clarets have since gone on to have another year in the top flight and sitting third, two points off leaders Hull City after 16 games, the prospects of an immediate return look good.

And Williams believes that promotion this season could lead to them following the example of West Bromwich Albion and cementing their place at English football’s top table.

“The strides Burnley have made in recent years have been fantastic,” he said.

“Now it is a club with aspirations to get back into the Premier League and stay there, and I think the foundation is there for them to do that.

“You look at West Brom a few years ago - they yo-yoed a couple of times and now you would say they are an established Premier League team.

“That’s possible when you look at the club. That’s more than achievable with the structure and the staff in place.

“You should always look to finish as high as you can and be as successful.”

Williams, who joined Shrewsbury in May 2014, going on to appoint former Burnley midfielder Micky Mellon as manager ahead of their promotion campaign, wants to return to the north west for family reasons.

His wife is expecting their first child in March.

But from a professional point of view he says he cannot wait to get started at Turf Moor.

“I’m absolutely delighted to be joining a club of Burnley’s size, stature and history,” said Williams.

“It’s a club I know well and I know a lot of the staff very well from my time at Blackpool.

“It’s an exciting time for me on and off the field, and it’s nice to be back in the north west.

“It’s an opportunity I couldn’t turn down for career and family reasons and I’m looking forward to working with people I know and trust.

“Hopefully I will complement an existing off the field staff that are really good at the job.

“That’s a challenge for me to help them develop and progress and become even better.”

Williams says he will work closely with chief executive David Baldwin and among the senior management team at the club.

It is not expected that he will initially be involved in any contract negotiations, although with his vast experience in that area it could not be ruled out in the future.

“I’ve been in football for 14 years and worked in every single division so I know how a lot of clubs work,” he said.

“I’ve spoken to the chairman, Mike Garlick, and he wants to really progress off the field as much as they have on the field, so if I can engage with organisations and groups and increase attendance at Turf Moor, and also increase the usage of it on non-matchdays, that’s a win-win for everybody.”