Jacobs set to stay Blue
Cowley confident Jacobs will remain at Pompey
MICHAEL JACOBS is expected to remain at Pompey beyond the transfer window.
That’s the verdict of Danny Cowley, following the collapse of the midfielder’s move to League One rivals Ipswich.
On Monday, Paul Cook’s side pulled the plug on the deal to instead sign Kyle Edwards from West Brom.
Despite Jacobs’ disappointment, he was welcomed back into Pompey’s squad for the Carabao Cup trip to Millwall on Tuesday evening.
The 29-year-old subsequently came off the bench in the second half of the 2-1 defeat, marking his first competitive appearance since the start of April.
Jacobs is contracted at Fratton Park until the summer of 2022 – and Cowley believes he is here to stay.
Pompey’s head coach told The News: ‘Michael loves playing football, so I thought he was fine to play (against Millwall).
‘We had a chat on Monday and I said “Do you fancy a game tomorrow?”. And he replied “I’ll bring my boots”.
‘I expect him to stay with us for the rest of the transfer window. Absolutely.
‘You can never be 100 per cent in football, but certainly I don’t anticipate an offer from anybody else.
‘Normally if another club tries to sign a player and it is quite well documented, if any other club were interested then they would then jump at that point.
‘Maybe they didn’t think they could compete with the club (Ipswich) that was trying to sign him.
‘He came to the hotel before Millwall and introduced himself as: “Hello, I’m Michael Jacobs from Ipswich Town”.
‘I did question whether he’d just had a weekend away in Suffolk! In all seriousness, it’s not for me to criticise another club.
‘I didn’t have a problem playing Michael. With our relationship and the way we both dealt with the situation, there were never any bridges burned.
‘It was really, really amicable all the way through and now he’s back with us.’
Jacobs was introduced as Pompey’s third and final substitute at The Den on Tuesday evening.
He replaced Shaun Williams on 61 minutes, attracting applause among the 2,000 visiting supporters as he entered the pitch.
The former Wolves man will also be under consideration for this weekend’s visit of Crewe in a return to League One action.
Cowley added: ‘He’s a great kid who conducted himself with real class all the way through.
‘Ultimately, we felt it was a good financial decision for the club, so we accepted it.
‘Considering the offer Ipswich had made and where Michael is with his contract here, he was trying to make the right decision for his family.
‘I know he was disappointed that the people of Portsmouth hadn’t seen the best of him.
‘And now, because of the circumstances, he has that opportunity.’