David Keltjens on why he chose St Johnstone and the influence of Guy Melamed

New signing David Keltjens was sold on a move to St Johnstone by former striker Guy Melamed.

Melamed spent the 2020/21 season at McDiarmid Park before moving back to play in Israel.

But he only had kind words when versatile defender Keltjens, an Israel international most recently of Hapoel Tel Aviv, was deciding whether Scotland was his next destination in football.

Keltjens (28) has penned a deal in Perth through until the end of the season.

“I followed Guy’s career from Israel,” Keltjens said. “I did not know him personally at that time.

“But I have asked him about his experience at St Johnstone and he really enjoyed it.

“He even said that he thought about coming back in the past few years. That did not happen but he really has amazing memories. He told me, in my situation, going to St Johnstone is the best thing I can do.

“I spoke with many players who I know and who have played in Scotland. Liel Abada at Celtic and Or Dadia who has been at Aberdeen. They only said good things about the country and the league.”

Keltjens admits he had interest from other countries after deciding to depart Hapoel Tel Aviv but the move to Saints felt right.

“Hapoel Tel Aviv is a big club in Israel – amazing fans with a great atmosphere each game,” he said.

“In the summer, there were changes and they decided to try a new strategy with playing most of the academy players. I was told I could stay but would not play much. I knew it was my time to try outside of Israel.

“I had a few good offers with interest from other countries, but this was the most interesting.

“I believe it is a nice challenge for me and I am looking forward to it. I will try my best for the team and for myself. This is a great challenge.”

With experience in defence and