Harry Arter outlined his motivation for dropping down to League One and rejoining his boyhood club Charlton Athletic in an interview with The Athletic.

The combative midfielder reflected on a difficult spell at Nottingham Forest, from who he is on loan at the Addicks from, but is also excited to finally make his full debut for the South Londoners having made one League Cup appearance for the club as an academy graduate in 2007.

He said: "I’ve always had that feeling of wanting to prove people wrong when I’ve been back to Charlton.

"But now hopefully I can prove people right - they wanted me to come back, which I’m really thankful for, and I can’t wait to get started and fulfil what I always wanted to do when I was a young kid, and that was to be a first-team player at Charlton."

The 31-year-old was not in the squad following international duty as the Addicks were defeated by Cheltenham Town on Saturday, however the scrutiny now surrounding Nigel Adkins' position as manager may see Arter thrown straight into the team as they look to pull themselves away from the League One relegation at Wycombe Wanderers this weekend.

Given his pedigree in recent years Arter is a standout name in the third tier and only time will tell if he has more to give at superior levels.

The Verdict

On the face of it Arter is a coup at League One level, as mentioned in the piece, he endured a tough 2020/21 campaign at Forest but played a significant role in Fulham's promotion to the Premier League the season before that.

The best spells of his career have come in the South of England, most known for his time with Bournemouth in the Premier League, and therefore Charlton supporters will be very excited by the industry and determination he could breathe into the Addicks midfield, as they look to arrest their slide in the coming weeks.

This feels like a pivotal season on the home straight of Arter's career.