The Imps boss has lashed out at the Romanian who he claims is playing the clubs fans.
Despite being offered the new deal he apparently craves, Patulea is stalling as claims are made he's holding out for more money.
"I think maybe he might be playing the fans against the club and myself at the moment - I firmly believe that, and no player is bigger than the club, no manager is bigger than the club." Said Jackson.
However 11 goals in 17 games was an impressive return from Patulea and perhaps that speaks more than any rivalry between player and manager.
However Jackson has now offered a new deal and suggests Patulea should sign given the time and effort the club has put in.
"We actually paid 70,000 Euros for him, we took him out of his contract in Romania. He feels he's not paid highly enough as they all do," Jackson said.
"We've made a contract offer to him. Hopefully he's sensible about what he's looking for but once agents become involved saying 'you can get this, you can get that' it only makes the hype even more so."