Transfer Centre

Harry Arter pours doubt on Bournemouth future

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 25 May 2018

Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter hints that he may have to leave the Vitality Stadium this summer if he wants to play regular football.

Harry Arter has revealed that he held talks with manager Eddie Howe at the end of the season to seek clarity over his Bournemouth future.

The Republic of Ireland international did not feature for the Cherries from mid-January onwards after picking up an injury and then struggling to break into the team.

Arter has been warned by national team boss Martin O'Neill that he needs to be playing regularly to retain his place in the Ireland squad, and the 28-year-old has acknowledged that he may therefore have to depart the Vitality Stadium.

"I felt at the end of the season was probably the best time for me and [Howe] to have an honest chat," he told reporters. "The relationship has been very good and it still is at this point.

"He's someone I respect greatly - he gave me my opportunity back in football, and now in the Premier League, he's given me three good years there, so the respect will always be there from myself to him and it's the same from him to me. He thanked me for my efforts this year, he thanked me for having a good attitude and being a good person around the changing room and we'll see what happens in the summer.

"Every player when they come out of the team, they always feel a tad aggrieved, always feel like they shouldn't be the one who comes out. Initially that was the case for me, but as the season went on, I respected the manager's decision. I knew he didn't just wake up one morning and think, 'I don't like Harry any more'.

"I knew there was a football reason behind it in his head. The conversations were based on what I want to do in the future, what he wants from me in the future, which I took with complete honesty. I felt he was completely honest with me, I was honest with him and we'll see what happens. We'll see what the summer brings."

Arter, who joined Bournemouth from non-league Woking in 2010, has three years left to run on his existing deal and was recently touted as a target for West Ham United.