No promotion talk, insists Brentford boss - but players keen to stay in pursuit of it

Thomas Frank says he does not want to listen to any promotion talk – but says he does not expect any of his players to move on in the current transfer window, such is the ambition now in the camp.

The Bees made it seven home wins in a row with Saturday’s 3-1 victory over QPR, once again making a strong case for being in the play-off shake-up at the very least, come May. They remain third in the table after the derby win.

But although star striker Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma, in particular, continue to enhance their reputations – both were on target in the latest win – the Bees boss is confident they will stay.

“Honestly, in my head, I can’t understand why any player would want to leave us now,” Frank said. “I can’t. It’s Simple.

“But I don’t want to listen to it [Promotion talk]. I only want to listen to the recovery and their good preparation and the next training and all that.

“Maybe I can hear what the fans are singing [about promotion] and that’s nice. That’s one of the reasons why we are here – try to create dreams and beliefs.

“We are pleased that the fans are dreaming. That makes their week better and we are very happy for that, but our job is to keep focused on the next game.

“I’m proud at times of the level of football we produce.”

Frank said the key to another convincing win was an ability to defend well from the front – with the strikers doing their bit to disrupt the supply lines to QPR attackers.

“We are playing quite nice, forward-thinking football, but the big decisive factor why we do so well this season is the defensive side of the game,” Frank said.

“Not only defending low. The intensity and pressure and the way our players are pressing, especially the front three, is the key.

“For me one of the most beautiful moment in this game was after a corner. QPR broke and we had eight players sprinting back, with [forward] Said Benrahma the first of them. That is magic for me.

“Of course I would love to have won 4-0 or 5-0 but big respect to QPR because they are unbelievable going forward.”