Newcastle United winger reveals 'objective' to leave club in 2024 - already given the green light

Ryan Fraser has set his sights on joining Southampton permanently at the end of the campaign after being frozen out at Newcastle United.

The 29-year-old spent the second-half of last season training with the under-21s after falling out with Eddie Howe. Fraser then joined the Saints on a season-long loan deal in the summer and has impressed by scoring seven goals in 25 appearances.

Russell Martin's side, who are on a 21-game unbeaten run, currently sit third in the Championship table, one point below the automatic promotion spots. In an interview with the club's official website, Fraser has revealed his two 'objectives' this year.

“The big one is to get promoted [to the Premier League], and the second one is to sign here for as long as I can," said Fraser.

And Newcastle won't stand in Fraser's way, although his wages could prove to be a stumbling block. The Scotland international signed a five-year contract, worth a reported £70,000, when arriving as a free agent from AFC Bournemouth in 2020.

Reflecting on his time at St James' Park, Fraser said: “At the start of my Newcastle journey with Steve Bruce, it was tough. I’m not going to speak badly of Steve Bruce, I just didn’t play and it didn’t work out. He’s still a nice guy, but it is what it is.

“Then Eddie came in and we started doing well together again. I started playing every game again, Newcastle were doing well, we went on a ten or 11-game unbeaten streak, the lads were fantastic, but then I wasn’t playing again.

“In football, you just want to play, or if you’re not playing you want to help the team in a certain way. It just came to an end. It’s hard to get into because there’s a lot that went on. Honestly, it’s tough to speak about.

"Obviously with the Eddie thing at the end, the media don’t know what’s happened so they couldn’t come out and say what’s happened, it was just that I was down in the under-21s, so a lot of people just jump to things – they believe what they want to believe, because everyone’s got an opinion.

“[Howe] was unbelievable for me. I did well for him, I learned from him, so it’s sad that it’s ended but it has ended now. It’s something I’ll always cherish, the years we had."

Fraser was part of the Bournemouth squad that progressed from League One to the Premier League under Howe. However, he departed on bad terms after refusing to extend his contract when the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the 2019-20. The Cherries went on to be relegated.

He added; “I think if you ask people within football, I’d like to think they say I’m a nice person! I don’t know what it is, maybe people still don’t think I’m a nice person, but as long as my family and the people at Southampton think I’m nice and genuine, that’s all that matters to me."