Eddie Howe States He Has No Ill Feelings Towards Cherries Midfielder Harry Arter
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe has come out to declare he has no ill feelings towards club stalwart Harry Arter, despite letting the Irishman leave the club on loan to Cardiff City.
Arter has made 232 appearances for Bournemouth since signing for the club back in 2010, when the Cherries were plying their trade in League One. Arter became a popular face around the Vitality Stadium, winning the fans' Player of the Year award when Bournemouth won promotion from the Championship in 2015.
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However, Arter fell out of favour at Bournemouth, with the midfielder making just 13 Premier League appearances last season, leading some fans and journalists to speculate that Arter and manager Howe had fallen out.
Speaking to the Bournemouth Echo, Howe was questioned about his relationship with Arter and whether the 28-year-old had played his last game in a red and black shirt. Howe answered, ''No, not necessarily. I think that will be dependent on lots of factors, not just one thing.
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''From my perspective, would I pick Harry Arter again? Yes, of course I would. If I felt it was best for Bournemouth, I would do that.''
On the possibility of a falling out between the two Howe rejected the premise, saying: ''How Harry feels is for him to speak about. But from my side, there has been no major falling out or disagreements.
''I love the player and the person and wish him well this season.
''He needs to be happy in his environment and needs to feel like he has a very good chance of playing so, all those things being well, yes, he could come back and play here for sure.''
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Asked whether it was a difficult decision to let Arter leave the club, Howe replied: ''It was very difficult. Harry's journey epitomises that of the team and the club."
Howe went on to imply that it was the new signings that effectively pushed Arter out of the club, such as £25m man Jefferson Lerma, meaning Arter would not be guaranteed first-team football, adding: ''The difficulty is he desperately wanted to play and to guarantee him those opportunities was very difficult for me.''
