HARRY Arter insists he is “100 per cent committed” to Cherries and is vowing to continue to pull out all the stops in a bid to regain his place.
Arter, who is in his eighth season at Dean Court, has featured in only three of Cherries’ past 12 games in the Premier League, starting just two.
He was an unused substitute in wins over Arsenal, Chelsea and Stoke, with his last taste of top-flight action coming in the 2-2 draw at Brighton on New Year’s Day.
A key figure in Cherries’ rise from the depths of League One, the 28-year-old midfielder was heavily linked with a move to West Ham during the January transfer window.
Despite the speculation, boss Eddie Howe – who plucked Arter from non-league Woking for £4,000 in 2010 – steadfastly insisted he was not for sale.
Republic of Ireland international Arter, who has made more than 250 appearances for the club, penned a new four-year contract in the summer.
Arter, who was crowned supporters’ player of the year when Cherries clinched promotion to the Premier League, told the Daily Echo: “My most important job between now and the end of the season is to work as hard as I can to get myself back in the team.
“It is very easy to say I deserve to be playing or put me back in the team but performances and training performances are the things that get in the manager’s mind.
“The manager made it clear, more to the press than anyone really, that I wasn’t for sale in January and I respect his decision with that.
“I signed a four-year deal in the summer and my job now is to try to be as beneficial as I can to the team to make sure we stay in the league.
“Naturally, when a player of my age is not playing and someone who is desperate and just loves playing football, there comes a question mark over whether long term it is going to be the right place for me.
“Ultimately, if I am not playing, there has to be a change and I am sure the manager would understand that.
“If I don’t play between now and the end of the season and am a continued spectator then, naturally, there would be a discussion.”
Arter started the Carabao Cup quarter-final at Chelsea in December and was one of the few players to emerge with any credit from the FA Cup defeat at Wigan last month.
Asked what it had been like looking on from the bench, he replied: “It is different and something I haven’t been overly used to since I have been here and that has been a major part of my career.
“It is a strange feeling but you know the end goal is the most important thing and that is the team winning and staying in this league.
“We were two points off the relegation zone before the win at Chelsea. We are in such a healthy position now and, hopefully, I will get a chance between now and the end of the season.”
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