Mamadou Thiam sees his long-term future at Barnsley, where he says he has now made a home.

The 23-year-old has played 63 games – 32 starts and 31 off the bench – since joining the Reds at the start of last season, scoring six goals. Barnsley are understood to have turned down several bids of around £1million for him during the January transfer window in which they sold his fellow winger Brad Potts to Preston.

Thiam said: “I see my future here at Barnsley. I have a contract until 2020 and I am focused on Barnsley. I am very happy here. It feels like I have been here for five years and Barnsley is my home now. English football is the best in the world and I want to stay here all my career. This club has the best fans in Yorkshire.”

Thiam has netted just once in his last 18 matches, when he smashed a sensational 25-yard strike into Charlton Athletic’s top right corner on December 29. After that he has started three successive games.

“I have a lot more confidence after the goal against Charlton. I am a striker so I play to score. I am not playing up front but I can still score on the left wing.

“I think I will get more goals this season. Last season I didn’t score at Oakwell but this season has been much better for me. It was difficult to be relegated but I would be happy and proud to be promoted. I want to be in the Championship.”

Barnsley, on a six-game unbeaten run which has left them fifth, play bottom club AFC Wimbledon away tomorrow. Thiam said: “We have to be focused on the game because, in England, it’s not like the other countries – the last team can beat the first. If we think about Wimbledon being last, we will lose.

“It’s a great thing to be unbeaten, we want to go up so we have to keep going. You can’t be on top all season but, when you are less good, you have to work harder in training and concentrate more on coming back.

"The team spirit is very important. We know it is very possible to finish in the top two. We just need to focus on our results, not the results of other teams. I think this is our moment to have a good run because we are unbeaten and playing well.”