Callum Davidson has thanked Guy Melamed for his contribution to St Johnstone’s incredible season of success.
And the Perth manager then revealed the door still remains open for the Israeli striker to return for the 2021/22 campaign.
Saints had previously offered Melamed a new deal but the 28-year-old recently posted his goodbyes to supporters on social media.
Davidson, soon to be welcoming his players back for pre-season training, said there is still an offer on the table.
“I would like to thank Guy for all his efforts last season,” Davidson said.
“All credit to him as a man coming over during COVID and having to live in isolation and play football.
“It must have been an extremely difficult time for Guy.
“He could have been tempted to down tools in those early months and looked to head back home.
“But once he had settled in, some of his performances, particularly in January and February, were fantastic.
“He was desperate to get into the team and he scored some vital goals for us.
“We made him a very good offer to stay but his agent has said he will wait and see.
“It’s unfortunate we haven’t been able to come to an agreement. We have to move on but things can change quickly in football.
“Right now the offer is still there if Guy changes his mind and decides he wants to play for us next season.”
Davidson is currently working hard behind the scenes to plug some gaps in his squad ahead of football’s return next month.
The Scottish Premiership fixture list was revealed this week and Saints will open up on July 31 with a trip to Ross County.
Among the Perth ranks could be James Brown, the full-back who spent the second half of last season on loan from Millwall.
“James is keen to come back and negotiations are continuing,” Davidson said this week.
“Contracts run differently in England so things work at different speeds. We have a lot of targets after losing three or four from last season.
“There are a lot of good players available and it is about making sure we get the right ones. We also want to develop some of the younger players here.”
