If Eddie Howe replaces Steve Bruce in the Newcastle United hot seat, Ryan Fraser could be left feeling like the guy who’s just run into his ex in the queue at Starbucks – slightly awkward.
After all, Fraser and Howe didn’t exactly part on the best of terms.
In the eyes of his former Bournemouth boss, the diminutive winger tainted his legacy at the Vitality Stadium in summer 2020, leaving the club on a free transfer after refusing to extend his contract and pitch in during the midst of a relegation battle – a fight Howe’s side eventually lost.
“I’m sad for (Fraser) because he’s had a really good link with supporters. They’ve really loved him here and now, for it to end the way it has, is uncomfortable for me,” Howe told the Daily Echo at the time.
“I’m disappointed for him that his legacy here will be around his departure rather than the good things he did during his time.
“It’s sad people will focus on how he left. It shouldn’t have ended like this.”
Eddie Howe could bury the hatchet and save Ryan Fraser’s Newcastle career
But once Howe and Fraser are done with the uncomfortable small talk, many Newcastle supporters will hope they can remember the good times and rediscover the spark that made their relationship work in the first place.
It was Howe, after all, who turned Fraser into one of the Premier League’s most effective wingers, a transformation as stark as it was unexpected.
Dovetailing to devastating effect with former Bournemouth talisman and now Newcastle striker Callum Wilson, Fraser produced seven goals and 14 assists during the 2018/19 top-flight season – a tally bettered only by Eden Hazard.
Howe described Fraser at the time as a “real talent” – and the admiration was mutual. Three years ago, Fraser thanked Howe for helping him unleash his potential on Premier League defences, labelling his manager a future England boss.
Fraser, then, must have mixed feelings amid reports suggesting the 43-year-old may be closing in on the Newcastle United job as talks get under way this week (The Mirror).
But if one man can save his ailing St James’ Park career it’s the coach who turned Fraser into one of the division’s most feared forwards in the first place.
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