Town manager Paul Jewell has confirmed that the Blues are trying to sign Aston Villa right-back Habib Beye on loan. The Blues boss hopes that the 33-year-old could be at Portman Road before the weekend.

Jewell said: “We’re trying to bring a couple of players into the squad. I know you’re going to ask about Habib Beye because he’s been mentioned, and I have spoken to Aston Villa. That’s something that we’re trying to do to improve the squad.

“We’re looking at all areas to try and improve what we’ve got. The lads are doing great at the moment and we’re just trying to bolster what we’ve already got here.”

Jewell is looking to get the deal done in the next couple of days: “I’m hoping so but he was in France yesterday. I spoke to Paul Faulkner, the chief executive at Aston Villa, but I haven’t heard anything since yesterday.”

But even if Beye signs, the Blues boss says he won’t be in his team taking on Hull City at Portman Road at the weekend: “I think if I was a player in a 6-0 victory and I got left out I’d be upset, so he definitely won’t be going into the side on Saturday.

“He’s a good player, he’s one that I think can play in a number of positions and would improve our squad. It’s not a team effort, it’s a squad effort and I think he’ll give us another option.”

Jewell says there will be only one change to his weekend team with midfielder Jimmy Bullard unavailable under the terms of his loan from the Tigers.

New signing Andy Drury could come in for his first start, while Jaime Peters and Luke Hyam are also options to take Bullard’s central midfield role.

Photo: Action Images

DiamondGezzer added 11:42 - Feb 17 Who's the best option out of those three ? Pleased I don't have to make the choice. Perhaps Peters, although, Drury did stand out at Colchester ! Nothing against Hyam, as I said, which is the best option.
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truckertractorboy added 11:43 - Feb 17 i think he will be a good signing giving us some cover at right back as pj said if it aint broke dont try and fix it
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JetaimePeters added 12:03 - Feb 17 Peters in for Bullard! He never lets us down!
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tp1234 added 12:03 - Feb 17 Great headline as always!
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tractorboy2434 added 12:09 - Feb 17 Whilst he might be okay as stop gap for a month or 3 he would not be a long term solution which we will need to find by the summer.
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BelsteadCav added 12:16 - Feb 17 Ban the ignore button!
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blueherts added 12:26 - Feb 17 Hyam - the kid is the future and a quality , player . He plays in Middle - Peters better out wide - Drury looks like he has started well - great to have good options - or shall I say - we always had them just the previous clown didnt quite no where to put them , treat them , talk to them , laugh with them ... etc etc etc .Love it PJ Got to get the Otis R song in if he gets down to Felixstowe

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BandC added 12:38 - Feb 17 Well what a few weeks make? Life is good may it last. better options better team more football less longball more goals What did kean say trust me we did got us no where
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Mark added 12:42 - Feb 17 “I think if I was a player in a 6-0 victory and I got left out I'd be upset, so he definitely won't be going into the side on Saturday." Great management again by Jewell, rewarding good performances. That's so refreshing after the last regime which picked the side based on effort in training rather than performances in matches! Habib Beye, a "firm favourite" at Strasbourg, fans' Player of the Year at Marseille in 2006, official and fans Player of the Season at Newcastle in 2008...I really hope we get him! Beye will be 34 in October, so at that age the Championship is a good level for him. Perhaps we could permanently sign him in the summer if a loan goes well. I wouldn't play Peters in the centre Saturday as he is more of a wide player. With Bullard out, Drury's set pieces would be very useful so he might be favourite. Hyam really deserves a chance though, as he was so good earlier in the season before being "rested".

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ThatMuhrenCross added 12:44 - Feb 17 Would love to see Hyam back in the fold. Keane actually did really well bringing him through and giving him his debut, so I think with the sort of arm-around-your-shoulder management style of Paul Jewell, Hyam could really kick on and flourish now. If it happens to be Andy Drury coming in - who I hear is playing some wonderful football at the moment - We probably would need to look at a change of formation slightly. Drury can play through the middle, but really he is a much better player at left-midfield. Perhaps if Jewell looked to keep the same back five, then have a midfield four of Drury, Healy, Leadbitter, Martin (in that order from left-to-right) with a front two of Wickham and Scotland, that could work very well.

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Strider added 12:49 - Feb 17 I agree with tp1234 - great headline Not sure about Beye, could be good short term but Edwards, Peters are good options. I was unsure when Jewell came that he was the right man for the Town, but he's impressed me no end. Obviously the results have been great and Donny away was stunning, but it's when he talks that he gives an insight into his style. He says that he talks to the plays 'at length', he honours the club history by wanting to play the right football AND win matches, and he talks about the collective group. Before the Old Farm derby they ask Steve Claridge to sum up the two teams. He said that Lambert was getting every ounce out of his team, and that whilst Town were three points behind at the time the team had so much more to give. Sadly Keano couldn't get it out of them whilst Jewell is getting them to play better football than we were at the start of the season. Good times ahead and I trust Jewell to get it right.

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ElginCityBlue added 12:57 - Feb 17 It's got to be Hyam in the middle on Saturday. He looked really good earlier in the season and it was around the time that he got injured that things started to go pear-shaped. I think PJ's style of management will help him, but he needs the games. COYB
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TractorRoyNo1 added 12:59 - Feb 17 let's hope its beye beye villa, hello town
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LollITFC added 13:02 - Feb 17 Drury all the way for me ..... no brainer
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BlueVelvet added 13:08 - Feb 17 good to hear of the motivational style in PJ - not drop players who deliverd 6 goals - excellent
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Keaneish added 13:09 - Feb 17 Yep, have to agree, thoroughly refreshing to have the manager all but name his team 3 days before a game. Must install a lot of confidence in the players. Can't make this Saturday but will be at QPR...which i'm confident of taking all 3 points from. Anyone else?
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arc added 13:21 - Feb 17 I expect it'll be Drury for Bullard. The first thing that Jewell seems to have noticed in looking at tapes of the Keane performances is how abysmal our set pieces were. I'm sure a large part of bringing Bullard in was to rectify that; Drury is also a set-piece specialist.
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brittaniaman added 14:16 - Feb 17 It seems to me that Jewell is doing a lot of negotiations with the chairmen of other clubs example Swansea and now Villa thats the way it reads anyway
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tractorboy2434 added 15:10 - Feb 17 Don't bother, he's 33 and we have others who can cover, look for a permanent right back.
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Mr_Evans added 15:20 - Feb 17 Beye would be a useful loan signing, quality experienced footballer - In all honesty I'd like to see Conor Hourihane in the frame for Saturday, scored midweek for the reserves and we've not really seen alot of him.
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bluelady added 16:10 - Feb 17 Tractors234 window is shut so this offers us a short term option till summer maybe jewell hopes Edwards will learn from him? Drury for me even if he has little time on the ball his set piece experience could be the difference between scoring or not. Look how many goals bullard has helped to create via frew kick or corner, he had made massive difference.
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MooseJuice added 16:15 - Feb 17 I wouldnt mind seeing any of these three come in. Question is: if we win by 2 or 3 on sat will Jewell change a winning team to bring bullard back in?
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Ipswich24 added 16:53 - Feb 17 moose juice Bullard is first name on team sheet- pure class!!!!
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bluecrossy added 17:21 - Feb 17 The few touches Drury had on Tuesday were decent and he looked very sharp. Also by the sounds of it he had a solid game in the reserves against Colchester so I would give him a start in the central role just in front of Healy and Leadbitter. I do rate the boy Hyam but he hasnt played much first team football in a while so we shouldnt really throw him into a tough game like Hull who are on a fairly decent run themselves.

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Bluetone added 17:39 - Feb 17 Welcomw news but awful headline "Jewell Confirms Beye Watch" Phil you must be a Sun reader,
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