HE’S feeling Dee-lighted to be back at East End but Faissal El Bakhtaoui has admitted to frustration at his parent club.

And the French-Moroccan star says he’s ready to take that out on Championship defences in the coming campaign and fire Athletic into promotion contention.

El Bakhtaoui, 25, is contracted to Dundee until next summer, having agreed a three-year deal when then manager Paul Hartley swooped to take him to Dens Park in the summer of 2016.

Although he played 35 times last season under current boss – and ex-Pars coach – Neil McCann, the forward only started in 21 of those and the chance to play more regularly was a big factor in his decision to “come back home”.

“I think at Premiership level I was feeling really comfortable, to be honest, when I was playing in my natural place, in the middle in the number 10, and when I had my game time I did quite well,” El Bakhtaoui explained.

“I scored against Celtic, I scored against Dundee United, Rangers – I scored against big teams. I was just a bit frustrated because I didn’t get that much game time at Dundee, but I’m still young and I was thinking with my family that the best thing to do was to come back to Dunfermline and do well for the club.

“My dad, my mum and my brother told me the same; the club loves you, everyone loves you and I just want to again thank all the fans.

“It does excite me to come back, do well and try to get the club where it should be.

“I came back here to get some game time and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

There were other clubs interested in taking El Bakhtaoui, Dunfermline’s leading scorer when they cruised to the League One title in his final season before leaving, but he continued: “When I had a think, I was speaking to my agent and to my family.

“They said ‘Listen, your best thing to do is to go back to Dunfermline, you feel more at home’ and, to be honest, when I come here I feel like I’m back at home.

“The fans have been unreal. I look forward to working with them again and to work hard every single week to try and get the club where it should be.”

When asked if he thought he was returning as a better player, he laughed: “I think I’m coming back a bit older!

“I was in the Premiership and I got a bit of experience. I know it’s a tough league, the Championship, and I know it’s going to be hard but I’m coming back here with more experience.

“We’ve got good players here and experienced players. That’s what we need and, when I see them, it’s just exciting me more to play and I can’t wait.

“I had a really good time here before I went to Dundee. I came from France as a young man and I learned so much; it was my first club and we won the league.

“I had to move on but I’m really happy to come back and to show the fans what we can do.”

Boss Allan Johnston added: “He wants to try and get his career back on track and it’s a place he knows, and the fans love him.

“I think Dundee played him wider but we see him more as a striker. That’s where he was effective for us and I think that’s where he prefers playing, so hopefully that sets him up to go and score a few goals and help get us challenging at the top.”

Meanwhile Stevie Crawford says he’s “delighted” to have agreed a contract to remain in a coaching role with the club on a permanent basis.

The former striker, who enjoyed three separate spells as a Pars player, was brought in last month on what was originally a short-term arrangement to fill the void left by John Potter, who moved to Sunderland.

Crawford, who has worked as a coach with clubs including Falkirk, Hearts and MK Dons, told Press Sport that he had not ruled out the possibility of being involved for a longer term, and that is now set to be the case.

Although his work will primarily involve working with the club’s younger players, he will be involved with the first team as well and he said: “When Ross initially had the talks with me on the Friday when he knew that Potts was going to be moving on, initially it was short-term, as in basically they needed someone to come in and give Allan and Sandy a hand.

“It gave them time to talk to candidates for the job as well but, once I got into conversation with Ross and my feelings for the club, the reality was that I was out of a job and the possibility was that it might be a longer-term thing for us.

“It’s great that the club have given me the opportunity. I feel it’s as important a role as working with the first team as a coach or an assistant, or even as a manager.

“Every role is important and I’m delighted to be here officially.”