Jacobs starts talks about new deal

Paul Cook hopes to tie Michael Jacobs down to a new deal 'soon'.
Michael Jacobs in action at CharltonMichael Jacobs in action at Charlton
Michael Jacobs in action at Charlton

He made securing the services of the midfielder – out of contract at the end of this season – a priority after Will Grigg penned a two-year extension.

And ahead of today’s return home to the DW Stadium to face Bristol Rovers, Cook revealed they have opened talks with the 25-year-old.

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But fans shouldn’t expect frequent updates – he said he doesn’t intend to discuss contract situations with the media from now on.

Asked about Jacobs in his pre-match press conference, Cook said: “I’ll answer this but I won’t be answering questions about contracts again because they’re club matters.

“We’re well aware of how long lads have got left and we don’t want to lose our better players.

“Michael’s in the process at the minute of speaking about a contract and we could have some news on that soon.”

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Jacobs has become an integral part of the Latics side since arriving in summer 2015.

He was at his sparkling best in Latics’ impressive 3-0 win at Charlton in midweek, which propelled them to sixth in the League One ladder.

And Cook used his performance as an example of the ‘blame culture’ in modern football.

“I’m not knocking Wigan fans, but there’ll be some players who got the blame after (losing 1-0 at) Shrewsbury last weekend – it’s the way football is,” he said.

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“Michael Jacobs wasn’t at his best at Shrewsbury, but he was at Charlton on Tuesday night.

“So what do we do? Drop him every time he’s not at his best, or show faith?

“One of my big gripes is the way some chop and change teams, I think managers can lead to the downfall of the team. That’s from outside pressure.”