Cherries: Ambitious Arter targets promotion (From Bournemouth Echo)

Cherries: Ambitious Arter targets promotion

9:22am Sunday 28th October 2012 in Cherries News By Ian Wadley

MIDFIELD maestro Harry Arter immediately targeted promotion to the Championship after committing his long-term future to Cherries.

Arter put pen to paper on a new contract and then swiftly set his sights on firing Cherries out of League One.

Cherries announced on Friday night that the coveted playmaker had finalised a deal amid reports of admiring glances from higher level clubs.

The 22-year-old agreed a contract that runs until the summer of 2015, with the option for a further 12 months in the club’s favour.

Snapped up from non-league Woking by Eddie Howe during his first stint as Cherries boss, Arter has flourished since his mentor returned to the Cherries hot-seat.

He scored goals against Tranmere and Notts County and followed those performances by starring in Cherries’ convincing 4-2 victory at Carlisle yesterday.

Former Charlton Athletic trainee Arter told the Daily Echo: “I am really pleased to have signed for three to four years.

“The club and Eddie, the gaffer, gave me my chance coming out of non-league and the chairman and Tom Mitchell have always supported me.

“I am really looking forward to getting us in the Championship.”

Arter revealed that Howe’s appointment had helped persuade him to sign a new deal.

He added: “At the time we were negotiating, it was the period when the previous guys left and there wasn’t a manager in charge.

“To be honest, I wouldn’t have really wanted to sign in that sort of period because you don’t know who is going to come in and you don’t know if you are going to get along with them. And, vice-versa, you don’t know if the manager is going to like you.

“To commit to the deal that I have, without anyone in charge, would have been a bit risky. Probably from mine and the club’s point of view, the best thing was to wait for the manager to come in. We both did that and it has worked out okay.”

Howe was pleased to secure the creative midfielder’s future after speculation had linked him with a move away from Dorset.

The Cherries boss said: “He is playing very well. You could see yesterday that he is an excellent footballer, very composed, and he got us playing.

“I am really pleased to have tied him down and to know that his long-term future is with us.

“I am sure he has many admirers out there up and down the country and, hopefully, he continues to have those. I think if he can perform like he is at the moment, then he will continue to get that.”