‘Happiest man’ - Newcastle United winger reacts as deadline day Southampton transfer confirmed

Fraser had been linked with a move to the south coast throughout the summer after an impressive loan spell at St Mary’s last season. However, as the transfer window progressed, a return to Southampton looked increasingly more unlikely for the winger with Russell Martin even admitting earlier this month that he ‘wasn’t sure’ if the club would get a move for Fraser over the line.

Martin told TalkSport: “I am not sure if that will happen. That is down to Newcastle United.

“Ryan did brilliantly for us last season and I love him as a person and a player. He was really popular with the dressing room, fans and staff.

“But we are nowhere near a deal for Ryan. The longer it goes on, it looks increasingly unlikely.”

However, with just over an hour of the summer transfer window to go, Newcastle United have confirmed that Fraser’s four-year stay at the club has come to an end and that he has rejoined Martin’s side. The Saints confirmed that Fraser has returned to the club as a free agent with Martin describing the Scotland international as a ‘quality’ player.

“Wee Man played such an important part in our squad last season, both on the pitch and in the dressing room, and all of us are delighted to have him back.” Martin told Southampton’s club website.

“Everyone could see the quality and creativity he has and he delivered in so many big moments for us. What many people outside of the building won’t have seen is the impact he also had off the pitch within the group, and it’s fantastic for us to be able to keep someone not only with great ability, but the same level of character too.

“His experience in the Premier League is an additional asset, and he’s delivered at that level consistently over the time he’s played there, so it’s another really positive signing for us.”

Fraser added:  "I'm probably the happiest man in Southampton at the minute. It's been a long summer from the play-off final to now, but my number one goal was to get back here and now that it's happened, it's one of my proudest moments to be honest. Probably second after winning the play-offs. So yeah, it's really nice to be here.

"I think the journey that the players and the fans went through last season, we came together and it's amazing to be back."