Brentford have signed Maxime Colin from Anderlecht after losing Andreas Bjelland through a season-long injury.
Bjelland, who himself only joined the Bees last month, requires surgery after sustaining knee ligament damage in the midweek League Cup tie against Oxford United.
The West London outfit have acted quickly, however, bringing in French full-back Colin for a fee in the region of £900,000.
Having made 25 appearances for Anderlecht, including in the Europa League, the 23-year-old departs Belgium to join Brentford on a four-year deal.
Marinus Dijkhuizen's side kicked off their Championship campaign with a dramatic 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town last weekend.