Fraser ready to give his all after difficult season
NEW BOY FULL OF PRAISE FOR BRUCE
RYAN Fraser admits he was ‘not good enough in a lot of ways’ at Bournemouth last season – but Newcastle United’s new signing has vowed he ‘won’t let anyone down’ after completing his move to St James’ Park.
The Scotland international has signed a five-year deal with the Magpies and arrives on a free transfer after his contract expired at Bournemouth earlier this summer.
It had been a season to forget for Fraser, who previously admitted he had ‘not played for the team’ in the first half of the campaign, and the 26-year-old did not feature during Project Restart as he eyed his next move.
Six months after his final game for Bournemouth, Fraser took his time to decide that Newcastle was ultimately his next destination but the winger has vowed to give his all for his new club.
“People close to me say I’m too honest,” he told NUFC TV.
“A lot of people say I’m too honest. I think it’s a good thing that I’m honest. If I have a bad game, I’m not going to shy away.
“I’ll say I’ve had a bad game but I’ll work on it and I’ll do my best to not do that again.
“Last season was difficult. No excuses, I wasn’t good enough in a lot of ways but having a year left on my deal, not wanting to get injured and knowing what was on the horizon, it was really difficult.
“But I’ve learnt from it now. I spent lockdown not just physically getting better but mentally getting better as well because coming to a place like this, you need to win.
“There’s no way around it and I want that pressure. I want the pressure of needing to win and wanting to win and I know how passionate the fans are up here and nothing but a win matters so, look, I’ll be giving my all.
“Now that I know where I’m going to be, and I want to be here, I think that’s just massive and I think everyone will see the best of me. I will do everything I can every week to be a professional and to give everything to be the best.”
Fraser formed a deadly partnership with fellow new arrival Callum Wilson at Bournemouth and the pair combined for 12 goals in the 2018-19 season.
But, under Steve Bruce, Fraser is well aware that he will have to work hard, too, when it comes to ‘giving everything for the team’ and he recognises that ‘then you can start to get your quality through after that’.
“Like I said, I think they are fundamentals. I learnt that from a young age. If you can integrate them – you don’t even to think about it – that’s what you have to do,” he said.
“Give all you can to the club, to the team, to yourself. Work hard, defend and then you can start doing your things going forward so that’s something I pride myself on.
“Every week, I’ll give everything I can. I won’t let anyone down. I just want to show my quality after that and get assists, get goals, get people off their chairs. That’s what I want to do. I want to bring excitement and I want to bring an end product.”
As far back as last December, Bruce had been keeping an eye on those players whose contracts were due to run out in the summer and Fraser and Jeff Hendrick naturally caught his eye.
The Newcastle head coach has said that he is ‘excited’ by Fraser and Wilson’s ‘wonderful chemistry’ but any new signing will, of course, have to buy into the team-first dynamic at the club.
“He started off with work ethic. He’s just a real good man-manager,” Fraser added of the conversations he has had with Bruce.
“The minute I met him, the minute
I spoke to him on the phone, it just felt right.
“I don’t know how to explain it. I respect what he did last season, what the team did last season. They finished very well I thought and he just wants to build on it.
“The work ethic needs to be there. A good morale in the squad obviously needs to be there.
“The minute I spoke to him, spoke football, I was just excited.
“When I met him the other day, I couldn’t get the smile off my face.
“Showing me around the stadium, I was just in dreamland really.”