A no-brainer or costly gamble - the Michael Jacobs contract conundrum facing Portsmouth
Assessing the quality of Michael Jacobs is a debate which, unusually among Pompey circles, attracts universal agreement, such is his obvious class.
Yet whether the attacker warrants a fresh Fratton Park deal is very much a discussion which divides opinion.
In an often humdrum season blighted by the frustrating inability to create in the final third, the former Wigan man has largely been a delight to witness in action.
Ronan Curtis is enduring the worst season of his Pompey career, Marcus Harness’ belligerent inconsistency taints impressive natural talent, while Mahlon Romeo and Reeco Hackett at wing-back have barely delivered in promising attacking situations.
In contrast, the mercurial Jacobs has been a joy at times, while his dead-ball ability ranks as Premier League compared to his team-mates.
Certainly Danny Cowley, armed with hindsight, regrets not employing the 30-year-old more this season.
The Blues boss recently admitted to The News: ‘To be fair to Michael, his availability has been pretty good this year and we underused him, which you can argue was our fault’.
After all, Jacobs was omitted from four Pompey squads in September, a period which coincidentally failed to yield a single victory.
However, for all his undoubted ability, the ex-Wolves man has missed 35.92 per cent of Pompey’s games since his arrival, either through injury or illness.
That is the most damning statistic of all, steering the argument away from the no-brainer of a new contract towards extreme caution required.
Admittedly, the bulk of such absences occurred last season, with two medial collateral ligament injuries to his left knee, a hamstring issue, and Covid sidelining him for 28 fixtures.
This term, Jacobs has been ruled out of nine of the Blues’ 51 matches so far, chiefly due to a knee problem caused by kicking the ball during training in February.
Still, he has been unavailable for selection for 37 of the club’s 103 games during the last two seasons – and that is the overriding issue for Cowley.
Pompey’s head coach does not need lecturing on the importance of Jacobs, he fully appreciates a player he recognises as possessing creative talents unique to his squad.
Indeed, when available, the winger has racked up 16 successive appearances, of which half have been starts, yet his injury record continues to cloud the contract decision.
Encouragingly, the Blues possess a 12-month option on Jacobs’ two-year deal which expires at the season’s end.
Yet rarely are such clauses activated at Fratton Park due to the wage increases which usually accompany them.
Cowley earlier this month voiced the possibility of a pay-per-play arrangement, yet quite how attractive that would be to a 30-year-old remains doubtful.
Jacobs himself has stressed his willingness to stay, although, realistically, any contract would involve a drop in wages from the one signed under Kenny Jackett in September 2020.
The question for Cowley is whether retaining his most creative player represents value for money.
If not, where does he find an alternative of similar calibre? Next year’s essential promotion challenge could well depend on it.
A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron
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