Perth Glory is delighted to confirm that Tunisian international winger Salim Khelifi has joined the club on a one-year deal (subject to international clearance).
The 28-year-old brings a wealth of European experience having made nearly 200 combined appearances across the Swiss Super League and German Bundesliga 2 and also featured in the Europa League.
After representing Switzerland at every level from Under-16 to Under-21, Khelifi declared for Tunisia in 2019 and won his first senior cap that year.
Having spent the last four years with reigning Swiss champions FC Zurich, he is looking forward to embarking upon a new stage in his football journey with Glory.
“My thinking behind this move is that I had come to a point in my career where I needed a new challenge and a new adventure,” he said.
“The A-League is something that I was very interested in and I think that this move to Perth Glory will be good for my career.
“I want to start something new, win as many games as possible and help the club get back to where it belongs.
“Personally, my aim is to play as much as possible, score goals, deliver assists and help the team get stronger.
“I have been following the A-League because my friend Leo Lacroix is at Western United; we played together in the Switzerland Under-21 team.
“I know that it is a very competitive league with a lot of technical and physical quality.
“I have only heard good things about Australia, I’m very excited to have signed for such a great club and I can’t wait to meet the team.”
Glory Head Coach Ruben Zadkovich is confident that Khelifi can make a major impact in the A-League this year.
“Salim is a very welcome addition to the squad,” he said.
“He will bring another attacking dimension to our structures, possesses very good close control and has the ability to take on his direct opponent and open up the game very quickly.
“His character references are very strong which is important to us and his experience in Europe will only benefit those younger players in our squad.
“We are really excited to have him joining our team.”
Glory Head of Recruitment, Andy Keogh, also believes that Khelifi has the potential to become a key figure in the 2022/23 campaign.
“This is a great signing for the club as Salim has a lot of quality and experience at elite levels,” he said.
“We’re delighted that he has decided to join us on our journey of making this club competitive again and the Members and fans proud of us on and off the pitch.”
Born in the Swiss town of Winterthur, Glory’s new recruit made his senior debut for Lausanne-Sport and chalked up more than 70 appearances in the Swiss top flight before completing a move to German side Eintracht Braunschweig.
He went on to play more than 80 league games for Braunschweig, scoring 11 goals and claiming 12 assists and this impressive form persuaded FC Zurich to bring him back to Switzerland in 2018.
During his time with Zurich, he played seven times in the Europa League and opened his account in the competition in a Group Stage win over AEK Larnaca.
At international level, meanwhile, Khelifi progressed through the age ranks for Switzerland before opting to represent Tunisia.
He duly made his debut in a 2019 friendly victory over Mauritania.
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