The midfielder’s loan transfer to Edinburgh could turn into a longer-term agreement.
Scott Fraser has a strong desire to permanently replace The Valley with The Gorgie. The midfielder has just made two appearances for Hearts after signing a loan deal until the end of the season, but he is already looking forward to a longer stay.
Steven Naismith, Hearts’ head coach, has long liked Fraser and wanted to move him north last summer. The loan was eventually finalized last week, and Fraser is already feeling at ease back in Scotland with his family. He now plans to advocate for a permanent changeover.
Charlton already knows the 28-year-old wants to stay in Scotland, and Naismith would gladly keep him beyond the summer. The financing deal does not include a buy option, however. Fraser’s contract in London runs until June 2025, thus the problem is likely to be handled around the end of the season.
In an exclusive interview with the Edinburgh News, the footballer expressed his interest in settling down at Hearts. “Yes, I guess so. The manager mentioned some previous interest. Perhaps it wasn’t the appropriate moment for me or my club back then. “Obviously, financial constraints come into play,” he remarked. “For me, the satisfaction I’ve experienced in my football and personal lives is something I’ve lacked in the last six months.
“I have to respect the fact that I have another year on my Charlton deal. I admire the club and all they done for me, but I don’t think it’s a secret that I want to come back home permanently. Can something be done or not? Hopefully. We will see.
“It’s fine that the manager has expressed past interest and that he would like to do something longer-term, but if I come in and force things, that’s on me. That is my plan: to demonstrate that I have the ability to come in and improve the squad. I believe that the more training sessions I attend and minutes I spend on the pitch, the better I will become.
Fraser made his first start for Hearts in Wednesday’s 1-0 Premiership victory over St Johnstone. This came after he appeared as a substitute in the 3-2 win over Dundee the previous Saturday. He is currently preparing for Sunday’s Scottish Cup fifth-round clash at Airdrie. After waiting two weeks for Charlton to finalize his loan agreement, he is simply relieved to be back in competitive action.
“I enjoyed being out there on Wednesday,” he told me. “I certainly switched roles really early in the game [playing out wide]. I attempted to support the team as much as possible while also working on improving my fitness and sharpness. I cramped up towards the end but it’s been a while since I’ve played in a match of that tempo – having to defend long balls and scrap for seconds.
“The last time I played a game from the beginning was on Boxing Day, so maybe I won’t have to wait too long. The two-week period during which the deal was on and off kept me from moving further. I had been training every day and feeling great, but then you missed two weeks. Even though I was still at the gym, I wasn’t becoming match-ready or training with the boys. I need to catch up on that, therefore I’m looking for more minutes in the upcoming games to continue improving.
He mentioned a small lack of desire during the first half of the season at Charlton. Fraser, who longs to return to Scotland, now wants to play as many matches as possible to prove himself. “Exactly that. “I feel a lot happier in my personal life with my family here, and I believe that will show,” he added. “Since the transfer, and eventually when it was completed, I feel like I’ve regained the fire in me that had been lost for the previous six months. That motivation has truly returned, and it’s a nice feeling.
“Coming up here and playing with this group of boys is a huge plus for me. I believe I will only improve as I train with them and learn their thoughts as well as what the manager wants. I believe I’ve done well in the short time I’ve had to learn what the boss expects from me. Going forward, all I want to do is get myself on the team. It’s a really solid and competitive side that is clearly flying high at the moment. “I want to be a part of that.”
It is, of course, easier to establish oneself in a new squad that is winning virtually weekly.
Hearts are now one of Europe’s most in-form teams, with nine wins and one draw in their previous ten games. They are aiming to finish third in the Premiership, qualify for European football, and win the Scottish Cup this season. Fraser’s point of view makes the appeal clear.
“The changing room is a really good group of boys,” he went on to say. “I know I won’t stand here and say they aren’t, but they truly are. It felt like I’d been here for two or three weeks from the moment I arrived on Sunday for my physical.
“Then the two weeks dragged on. On my first day back, everyone was asking what was going on and why it took so long. It just made me feel like they wanted me to be a part of their team. I wasn’t coming in, and no one was speaking; it was a pretty pleasant setting to be in.”
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