An in-depth piece from The Athletic’s has revealed new details on the fallout between Ryan Fraser and Eddie Howe; who banished the winger from the senior set up last month.
According to ‘sources close’ to the player, Fraser was shocked at being sent to train away from the first-team – he’s now on a totally separate site at our Academy’s Little Benton base – and has rejected suggestions that his ‘application in training or standards have slipped.’
The Scott’s camp have also rubbished suggestions that he pushed to leave last summer, insisting a January move was pursued – without handing in an ‘official transfer request’ – in search of ‘greater game time.’
However, it’s thought Newcastle were only keen on a permanent deal or loan that saw the club recoup a significant portion of his wages. Everton showed interest – along with a few other ‘bottom-half club’ – but wanted cash for Anthony Gordon, not a part-exchange that would’ve included Fraser as a makeweight.
The Athletic add that Eddie Howe was keen to use the 29-year-old in a reserve role down the left ahead of the 2022/23 season, only for Fraser to voice concerns as he preferred to operate own the right.
In response to these claims, Fraser’s team insist he was not stubborn or demanding of where he played, insisting he was ‘happy to play in all positions’ to help out the team. Both stories can’t be true, so it makes you wonder just how and where things fell apart between Howe and the former Bournemouth man.
Perhaps a combination of little game time, a failed January move and frustration on the training field led to a dip in performances on the training pitch, leaving Howe to remove a player he felt was no longer committed to the club to benefit the group as a whole?
Who knows, but one thing seems clear – Ryan Fraser won’t play for Newcastle again and looks set to be moved on this summer after a pretty miserable few years on Tyneside.
