Fulham Opinion: Cottagers should go all out to sign Harry Arter this summer
According to the Irish Independent, Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter is likely to complete a move to newly-relegated club Fulham in the summer transfer window after spending the 2018-19 season on loan at Cardiff City.
The Irish Independent believes Fulham are tracking the 29-year-old Republic of Ireland international after the Cottagers announced Scott Parker as their new permanent manager.
Arter, who earns £40,000-a-week, still has two years remaining on his contract at Bournemouth but it looks unlikely that Cherries manager Eddie Howe has a role for him in the midfield at the Vitality Stadium next season.
The 29-year-old was a regular for the Cherries back in their Championship days and featured prominently in their first two seasons in the Premier League before slipping down the pecking order since the start of the last season.
The Irishman started only 11 games in the Premier League for Bournemouth in the 2017-18 season before being shipped out on loan to Cardiff City last summer.
Arter made a total of 25 appearances for the Bluebirds in the Premier League this season before confirming his exit upon the club’s relegation to the Championship.
Meanwhile, Fulham are preparing for a massive clear-out of several of their first-team stars, as the Cottagers set their sights on securing promotion back to the Premier League in the first time of asking.
Fulham clearly cannot afford to have such high-earning players on their books in the Championship and they are seemingly under pressure to trim their wage bill.
To put things into perspective, Fulham have every reason to look at Harry Arter as someone who could add a lot of steel and stability to their midfield. Jean Michael Seri is unlikely to stick around in the second division while Calum Chambers is set to return to his parent club Arsenal.
At 29, Arter’s influence is on the wane but he is still good enough to play a big role for any promotion-chasing side in the Championship.
Cardiff have struggled as a unit in the Premier League but Arter’s performances haven’t been all that bad. In fact, he has often added a lot of energy to the Bluebirds’ rather pedestrian-looking midfield.
It’s true that he hasn’t made much of an impact with goals and assists this season but a return to the Championship should see him get back to his best.
Having been an integral part of Bournemouth’s journey from League One to the Championship and then to the Premier League, Arter has racked up a mammoth of 254 appearances for the Cherries in all competitions.
He is well aware of the long and hard slog that the teams have to go through in the Championship and knows what it takes to secure promotion to the top-flight.
Noted for his strength, tenacity, drive, determination and tough-tackling nature, Arter can be the perfect choice for Fulham to play the role of a destroyer in the midfield.
He always keeps things ticking with his dogged work-rate and impressive distribution, while also possessing the intelligence and the quality on the ball to chip in with valuable goals and assists.
The fans at Craven Cottage are likely to see more of Kevin McDonald and Stefan Johansen in the Championship next season. McDonald has hardly played a part in the Premier League while Johansen has found his rhythm on loan at West Brom after struggling for regular minutes in the first half of the ongoing campaign.
They also have the services of Ibrahima Cisse in central midfield as a useful back-up option but Arter would still be a wonderful addition to their ranks, owing to his experience and quality.
To Read More Fulham News, Click Here:- Latest Fulham News
If Fulham are to make an immediate return to the Premier League, Harry Arter is exactly the kind of player that the Cottagers should be looking at.
