Dean Smith has left Walsall to become the new head coach of Championship side Brentford.
Smith had been at Walsall since 2011 and was the fourth longest-serving manager in English football's top four divisions.
When Smith took over at the Bescot Stadium in January 2011 the Saddlers were nine points adrift at the bottom of League One. However he successfully kept the West Midlands side in the division and has since transformed them into a side with aspirations for promotion.
In a statement on the club's official website Brentford's Co-Director of Football Rasmus Ankersen said, “We have been hugely impressed by Dean's work at Walsall and especially how he has managed to turn a club with such a low budget into one pushing for promotion.
“It is a similar challenge to the one Brentford face. We can't win by spending more money than our competitors so we have to identify competitive edges which will allow us to compete with clubs who enjoy much bigger budgets.
“In that respect Dean is a great fit to Brentford FC. The job is not just about being an experienced and intelligent football coach. More than anything, it is about being able to lead the staff and bring the best out of highly qualified experts as well as the players.”
Lee Carsley has been in interim charge at Griffin Park since Marinus Dijkhuizen was sacked in September but the 41-year old made it clear that he was not keen on taking the job on a full time basis.
Carsley will continue to take charge of the side for tomorrow's game against bottom of the table Bolton, with Smith expected to watch from the stands at the Macron Stadium.
