Callum Davidson believes Guy Melamed will be the answer to St Johnstone’s striking crisis – once the Israeli frontman is free of quarantine.
The Saints boss has been desperate to beef up his options in attack after seeing his side net just four times in their opening 10 games – the lowest of any Scottish Premiership side.
And he believes Melamed is the solution to his troubles after securing the former Maccabi Netanya ace on a one-year-deal.
However, the Perth faithful face a wait before seeing how the 27-year-old fits into their team.
Melamed must complete a 14-day period of isolation after touching down in Scotland, meaning it will be the visit of Dundee United to McDiarmid Park on October 24 at the earliest before he is able to pull on a blue jersey.
But Davidson believes he will be worth the wait.
“I’m delighted to get him on board,” the Perth boss told Saints’ website. “As soon as I spoke to him he came across as very enthusiastic and passionate – qualities I look for in a player.
“He’s very excited and looking forward to the challenge. His enthusiasm as a person made me make the decision to try and get him.
“Guy’s a little bit unknown over here and has something to prove. From watching videos of him play, I thought his movement in the box was very good. We had been looking to either go for a target man or someone to score goals, and I believe we have gone for the latter option.
“It’s difficult with the current situation but he will be in quarantine due to the rules. But once we have him in we will get him up to speed in training and we will get him involved with the boys. He’s lively and I hope he settles in well.”
Melamed is a free agent after being released by Netanya amid cost cutting forced upon the Israeli Premier League side by the Covid-19 crisis.
The 27-year-old helped his former side win the Israeli title in 2018 and leaves his homeland after netting 42 goals in 162 appearances.
“I am very excited,” he said. “When I heard there was an offer from Scotland I totally wanted it and I’m excited for this.
“I hope that I help the team score goals and help us move up the table. I think it is a very good league. I have a good friend that plays for Celtic, (Hatem Abd) Elhamed.
“I had one year left with Maccabi Netanya and we decided on both sides to finish it. I looked for something else in Europe and talked with my agent and he told me he would check some options and he found St Johnstone. When I heard about this I was very happy.
“(Callum Davidson) talked to me on FaceTime before I came here. I read about him on the internet and he had a very impressive career and he knows football very well. I think he is the right person to coach me.
“He thinks the team is very good and another striker is what he needs and I’m happy he chose me.
“I will bring quality, I score goals. I can play the classic number nine position. I think I bring some technique and movement. I hope I will bring goals – that is the most important thing.”
