Barnsley have appointed former MLS player Dane Murphy as their new chief executive. 

The American is the permanent replacement for Gauthier Ganaye, who left the club to join Nice in February, with co-chairman Paul Conway assuming the Frenchman's responsibilities on a temporary basis.

Murphy has previously worked as a technical director at DC United in the MLS, where he started his playing career, and has also worked as a technical director for Real Salt Lake and as head scout at New York Cosmos.

The 33-year-old will begin his new role at Oakwell immediately and becomes the youngest ever American to be a chief executive of an EFL club, making it an historic appointment for the Tykes.

“I am delighted to be joining Barnsley Football Club. Few from America have the opportunity to work in English Football, let alone a storied club with a rich history of success," Murphy said as part of his message to Barnsley supporters on their club website.

He added: “As well as on the pitch, we will be looking to continue the good work off it. The club has a number of plans and ideas in place, with the fans at the forefront of this.

“I am thoroughly looking forward to meeting with our fanbase and seeing how we can work together to make Barnsley a club that everyone wants to be a part of.”

Barnsley won automatic promotion to the Championship in 2018/19, in head coach Daniel Stendel's first season in charge at Oakwell.

The club will be hoping to avoid a repeat of their previous season in the Championship, when they were relegated back to League One.

It has been a busy few weeks for Barnsley in the transfer market, with key players Ethan Pinnock, Liam Lindsay and Adam Davies all leaving Oakwell to join rival clubs in the Championship.

The Verdict

This is an exciting appointment for Barnsley. Murphy has a unique and extensive knowledge of football and was clearly able to impress the decision-makers at Oakwell with his long-term vision for the club.

It will be interesting to see what sort of an impact he makes at Oakwell and Barnsley fans will be hoping that he is able to achieve success at the club next season.

It is an important season ahead for Barnsley as the club will look to stabilise themselves in the Championship again, following their relegation from the second tier in 2017/18.