Nottingham Forest have appointed former Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka as their new manager.
The Reds have been seeking a new man for the City Ground hotseat since Mark Warburton was sacked on December 31, following a 1-0 home defeat to Sunderland the day before.
Burton Albion's Nigel Clough had been among the early bookmakers' favourites for the job he turned down a year before.
But Karanka - who guided Boro to the Premier League in 2016 - was always considered high on Forest's list of priorities, reportedly alongside Barnsley boss Paul Heckingbottom.
And the Spaniard has now signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Reds.
"We are very pleased to have reached terms with Aitor Karanka to become the manager of Nottingham Forest. He is an exceptional candidate who fully subscribes to the vision of the club's owners and board for the future of the club," said Forest chairman Nicholas Randall.
"Our objective is clear: we want to continue building this fantastic football club and lead it to a bright future.
"The wonderful supporters of the club deserve success and a return to the Premier League. We are all working hard off the pitch to achieve this goal and we believe that Aitor will ensure that we can get the job done on the field of play.
"I want to thank Gary Brazil, his staff and the players for their professionalism and loyalty in the last few days.
"In particular, the performance against Arsenal was truly outstanding and shows the potential of this fantastic club."
Karanka's first game in the dugout will be Saturday's Championship clash with Aston Villa.
The Reds currently sit 14th in the division, eight points above the relegation zone - and the Brewers - and 11 shy of the play-off places.
