QPR boss Marti Cifuentes sends Sunderland and Burnley 25-word message

QPR head coach Marti Cifuentes has been linked with the vacant jobs at Championship rivals Sunderland and Burnley in recent weeks after an impressive start to life in the division at Loftus Road.

The Black Cats and Clarets were reported to be admirers of the Catalan coach and potentially prepared to fork out a compensation fee to try and lure the 41-year-old away from London. Towards the back end of last season, Cifuentes had pledged his commitment to QPR but that didn't stop reports of interest.

The R's boss has now reaffirmed his intentions to lead QPR next season in news that will come as a huge relief to supporters. The club appointed Cifuentes in October with the team 23rd in the table following a sixth straight Championship defeat.

The London outfit finished the season having risen to 18th, six points clear of the drop, as Cifuentes managed to navigate the relegation dogfight with calmness. In an interview with Sky Sports, he was asked about reports of interest in services from clubs including Sunderland and Burnley.

He replied: "It means people value what you are doing but this was a team effort. I am very focused on QPR and excited about the future."

Cifuentes is currently home near the coast of Girona in Catalunya, enjoying a break before returning for pre-season in the coming weeks. QPR will prepare for the upcoming Championship season with friendly fixtures against Tottenham Hotspur, Reading and QPR.

There is also work to be done in the transfer market to help Cifuentes build a squad that enjoys a campaign free of last year's relegation worries. So far, energy has been focused on tying down current stars to new contracts.

Speaking about the season ahead, Cifuentes said: "We need to be very humble. There are a lot of good managers out there, a lot of clubs with more money than us. I think it would be naïve for us to expect that just because we have a good trend, it is going to work.

"Pre-season is important. We will lose games. That is football. But I always want the supporters to go home proud of what we were trying to do."