Nottingham Forest outcast Harry Arter was part of a shambolic Notts County performance on Saturday as they lost vital ground on the top three in the National League.
The Magpies were thrashed 5-1 by Torquay United who kept up their faint hopes of gatecrashing the play-offs in the fifth tier.
Arter made the surprise loan move to Meadow Lane during the January transfer window after falling down the pecking order at Forest.
The experienced midfielder signed for Forest when Sabri Lamouchi was still at the club prior to the 2020/21 campaign.
A string of poor performances saw the Reds quickly lose faith in him, however. Chris Hughton didn’t really fancy him as a starter and he’s not had a sniff under Steve Cooper.
Now, he’s on loan with Forest’s neighbours and it’s fair to say Saturday didn’t exactly go according to plan.
Arter was handed a 4/10 for a sub-par performance that saw him earn a yellow card and hooked by boss Ian Burchnall.
The player ratings piece courtesy of Nottinghamshire Live claimed: “Was unable to influence the game as Notts were over-run in midfield.”
Forest have to part with Arter in the summer
Given that he’s on an eye-watering £38,000-a-week at Forest, offloading him won’t exactly be easy. However, it’s something that the Reds have to take a hard look at in the summer.
Arter hasn’t exactly pulled up any trees in the National League just yet. In fairness, given how long it’s been since he played that’s not really a surprise.
During his 14 outings with Forest, he will tell you that he played out of position. Ultimately, he looked way off the pace in the majority of them and it was no surprise that he was soon out of contention.
Arter’s future at the City Ground looks considerably bleak and as a result, Forest have to do whatever it takes to get him off the books in the summer.
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