Tommy Wright believes McDiarmid Park is the perfect place for David Goodwillie to get his career back on track.
The St Johnstone boss is hoping to persuade the Scotland international to sign for the Perth club now that he has been released by Blackburn Rovers.
This is Wright’s second attempt at recruiting Goodwillie, after Rovers decided to loan him to Blackpool rather than Saints in January. But the former Dundee United man indicated then that if he was coming back to Scotland, they would be his number one choice.
And that has given Wright encouragement ahead of talks when Goodwillie returns from his summer break.
He said: “David is still on holiday at the moment but when he’s back we’ll speak to him.
“When we talked to him last time he was impressed by the club and location is important because of us training in Stirling.
“In January Blackburn were not prepared to subsidise his wages as much so he went to Blackpool instead.
“He told us that if he was staying in Scotland he would have come to us.
“Obviously finances will be part of it but more than that I think David just wants to play.
“I met him in January and that was the thing I took away from the meeting he’s wanting a platform and to kick on with his career again.
“Coming to St Johnstone would give him that, he’s wanting to get going again.”
Saints have managed to rejuvenate many players who have lost their way in recent years, Jody Morris and Fran Sandaza among them.
Wright believes a confidence-lacking Goodwillie could be the next.
“I think joining us would provide an environment to be happy and perform the way he can,” he pointed out.
“Players can perform if they are happy at their work and that’s something we’ll be able to offer him.
“David’s a very good player, there’s no doubt about that. I think his confidence has maybe taken a dent over the last few seasons.
“But I believe the player he was when Blackburn came in for him and he was in the Scotland squad is still in there.
“I saw it when I met him in January, I’m convinced he can get back to his best and kick on even further again.
“You get a feeling for people. I think he’s someone who would fit in here and would flourish at this club.
“He’s a player who thrives on confidence and who needs to play regularly.
“He’s not had that in the last few seasons, but he’s a quality player and a quality finisher.
“It’s not being negative about St Johnstone, but this club is a platform for players to perform well and move on.
“That’s what we are, we’ve done it in the past for other players who have maybe lost their way a bit.
“That’s what I’ll be telling David come here, get back playing football and then move on again to where you want to be.”
James Dunne has joined Portsmouth and Wright revealed it was a simple case of being out-priced.
“We bid for James but Portsmouth bid more cash and eventually got him,” he reported. “He did really well for us and he’ll be a good signing for Portsmouth.
“They are a huge club, they get crowds of 18,000 and in the end that’s where he’s ended up.”