Jota missed Brentford's 2-0 defeat at Ipswich after aggravating a back injury, which he has been battling over the last two weeks.

The Spaniard was the notable absentee at Portman Road, after being linked with a move to West Ham throughout the summer.

The Spaniard was missed as the Bees slipped to rock bottom of the Championship thanks to goals from Ipswich pair Martyn Waghorn and Joe Garner.

However, Smith insisted him missing from the squad had nothing to do with any bids coming in.

He said: “It's an injury. He's been carrying a back injury for the last couple of weeks. He came in yesterday and we thought he was going to train but he'd had a bad night and he couldn't travel with us.”

It remains unclear whether Jota will return to the Brentford side to take on QPR in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, while Rico Henry failed to shake off a knee injury.

Smith confirmed: "Rico, on Thursday afternoon, reported his knee wasn't quite right."