Analysis: Halifax Wanderers make statement with Vanni Sartini signing
The Halifax Wanderers made waves on Wednesday as the club announced former Vancouver Whitecaps gaffer Vanni Sartini as its newest head coach and general manager.
Sartini, 49, is undoubtedly a marquee signing for both the club and Canadian Premier League (CPL) given his profile and accomplishments. Building from his experiences in his native Italy, Sartini joined the Whitecaps in 2019 and served as their head coach from 2021 until 2024. Over that time, he raised the standards both on and off the pitch, guiding the B.C.-based club to three consecutive Canadian Championships. He also helped establish the Whitecaps as a perennial playoff contender.
Now, the Italian will endeavour to help the Wanderers win their first silverware in club history following a disappointing playoff exit in October.
Wanderers get their man despite MLS, European interest
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Wanderers president and founder Derek Martin explained that Sartini was his first choice since the club began the process of recruiting a coach following news that former head coach Patrice Gheisar's contract would not be renewed.
The club handled their recruitment process very differently from when they hired Gheisar in November, 2022. Martin said the club created a list of seven or eight candidates they thought would be the right fit and approached them. Six candidates interviewed for the position, which for the first time in club history combined the role of head coach and sporting director (Sartini's official title says general manager but its understood he'll have many of the same responsibilities as the sporting director). Sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, noted Wanderers assistant coach Giovanni Petraglia was amongst the candidates interviewed.
Sartini, however, was far from a sure bet.
"Vanni's been at the top of that list from the very beginning and I kind of had to work him a little bit and sell him on everything we're trying to do but we're really happy we were able to get it over the line," said Martin.
Sartini revealed he considered opportunities in both Major League Soccer and in Europe, not to mention he had conversations about potential roles with Canada Soccer, but decided to commit to the Wanderers following careful consideration.
"This is probably the most exciting environment in the CPL to work in," he told reporters.
Staying in Canada, and helping to develop a club like he did with the Whitecaps, aided by his ability to have control of recruitment, were key factors in Sartini's decision. Martin previously explained the club had combined the head coaching salary, plus that of football advisor Mark Watson, who will no longer have an official role with the club, to create a more attractive package.
Sartini is the biggest coaching name to join the CPL, representing a coup for the club as they look to lean on his experience for their trophy aspirations.
Sartini discusses his style of football
The Italian often played a 3-4-3 while coaching the Whitecaps. In fact, going back to the CPL off-season between the 2023 and 2024, Gheisar traveled to Vancouver to spend time with Sartini to discuss and exchange ideas about playing a back three.
The Wanderers, of course, played with a back three with disastrous results at the beginning of the 2024 campaign but had more luck last year with the addition of centre-back Thomas Meilleur-Giguère. Sartini's tactics and historical preference for a more robust backline seem like an excellent fit on paper for the Wanderers given their returning personnel and familiarity. His desire to play attacking football also builds off the identity the club built over Gheisar's tenure.
However, when asked if he'd decided on his tactical approach, Sartini said there's too much up in the air as the club contemplates which of their eight players on option to bring back, not to mention the profile of players available for recruitment.
"It's very, very soon in my opinion to say back three, back four, because of lot of this is (decided) by the fact of what players we'll be able to sign from now until the start of the season. I can say to you that the idea of the team will be a team that's extremely organized when they don't have the ball so it'll be space defending, zonal defending," he said.
"And when we have the ball, to try and be a team that's exciting, that's able to change the rythym, to manage (moments) but to go faster as much as we can."
Sartini added he's still got work to do with the club's signed players, which includes Tiago Coimbra, Ryan Telfer, Tavio Ciccarelli, Jason Bahamboula, Yohan Baï, Lorenzo Callegari, Isaiah Johnston, Andre Rampersad and Meilleur-Giguère.
His conversations with these players will go a long way in determining how he sets up his squad.
"I'm identifying (the best positions) because I finish this process with a talk with the players and where they see themselves in a way I know the system or systems where they'll fit better. After that you need to go for players that complement this," Sartini said.
"(Tactics) need to be flexible. They're not set in stone."
Upcoming decisions for players on options
It's been a strange off-season for the Wanderers given Gheisar was released only 48 hours following the club's playoff loss. The result is that many roster decisions were delayed, with a limited post-season debrief given their was no coach in place.
Julian Dunn, Jefferson Alphonse, Nassim Mekidèche, Rayane Yesli, Reshaun Walkes, Luka Juricic, Camilo Vasconcelos and Kareem Sow all left Halifax not knowing where they stood as the club held options on all of them.
Now, with Sartini in place, the real roster construction can begin.
Speaking to HFX Football Post, Sartini said he'll be very busy over the next several weeks as he makes decisions for the players on options and begins the task of recruiting talent through his connections across North America and Europe. He mentioned Sow and Alphonse by name, stating they're the types of young players who could fit what he's trying to build.
Josh Healey
Overall, he said the club had a strong core to build of off.
But the Wanderers will need more than a strong core to realize their ambitions as Martin made it clear the club is in an era where results are expected quickly.
"Obviously, when I started this process, I had an ambition to get a coach in here that would take us to another level. We've had some great people leading the club to this point but to bring in someone like Vanni that has professional experience in a league higher than ours, who has a winning record during that time in the professional ranks and plays a very aggressive, attractive style to watch, he really checked off all the boxes we were looking for," he said.
"Now the hard work begins to put a club together and a team together that can go and win."
Cover Photo Credit: Trevor MacMillan / Halifax Wanderers FC
