Championship side Brentford have announced that Dean Smith will leave his post at Walsall to take over as Head Coach of the London club.
The new man arrives with Brentford having been without a permanent manager for the last two months, with former Everton midfielder Lee Carsley taking the reigns following the sacking of Marinus Dijkhuizen at the end of September.
The Bees made the play-offs last season and made waves in the summer transfer window with their analytics-based approach to new signings, but they have failed to live up to the hype and currently find themselves in 11th position in the second tier.
Smith, 44, has been at his first managerial post in Walsall since 2011, and has won plaudits for the attractive style of play he implemented in taking the League One side from relegation candidates to a promotion fight.
Assistant manager Richard O'Kelly will join Smith at Griffin Park, having worked with Smith during two stints at Walsall since 2012.
Smith must challenge Championship big spenders
Brentford's Co-Director of Football Rasmus Ankersen was quoted on the club's official website as saying that Smith was seen as an "authentic and strong leader" who could take the Bees "ultimately into the Premier League".
Ankersen went on to draw parellels between Smith's work at Walsall and the task he now faces at Brentford, noting that he will have to compete with far wealthier clubs at the top end of the Championship table.
Smith was the third tier's Manager of the Month for August 2015 - image via footyfresh.com
It has also been made clear to Smith that he will have to bring the best out of the current playing squad as well as the club's extensive backroom staff of "highly qualified experts".
Club pays tribute to 'outstanding' Carsley
A statement from the club was also made thanking former interim man Carsley for his hard work during his two months at the helm, during which Brentford won five of their nine games, compared two just two of the previous nine.
The statement thanked Carsley for his "outstanding" work under "difficult circumstances", with the 41-year-old having made it clear from the off that he would not be taking the job permanently.
Brentford target play-off push
Smith now gets to work ahead of a typically busy festive period in the Championship, with games against Bolton Wanderers, MK Dons and Fulham coming up over the course of the next two weeks.
Though Brentford are only just inside the top half of the Championship, they are currently only four points adrift of the play-off positions and could move up to ninth with a win against Bolton on Monday night.