The Wanderers Notebook: Julian Dunn update, recruiting a right-back and other tidbits from the start of training camp

After a busy off-season which saw them re-tool by signing key players like Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, Rayane Yesli and Isaiah Johnston, the Halifax Wanderers officially kicked off their training camp on Monday at the BMO Soccer Centre. Media were invited to attend this first look of the East Coast club as they strive to rebound from a disappointing 2024 campaign.

Monday, of course, was only their first session; the Wanderers are expected to train at the BMO Soccer Centre until March 10, at which time they'll board a plane bound for the United Kingdom. From there, the club will play three pre-season friendlies before returning to Canada for their season opener on April 5. But there's still much that needs to fall into place — be it additional signings, changes to coaching staff and more — before the Wanderers square off against Atlético Ottawa at TD Place for their first league match.

So, without further ado, here's all the news and notes from the first day of training camp.

Squad changes and updates

The vast majority of the Wanderers squad is returning players yet, despite 16 familiar faces from last season, much of the core has changed.

This past off-season saw the departures of centre-backs Dan Nimick and Cale Loughrey, goalkeeper Yann Fillion, scoring winger Massimo Ferrin and long-time players Aidan Daniels and Zachary Fernandez. However, the Wanderers recruitment was strong as they inked Pacific FC star Thomas Meilleur-Giguère to lead their backline, paid for the transfer of midfielder Isaiah Johnston from Loudoun United, nabbed promising goalkeeper Rayane Yesli following a year with Atlético Ottawa and brought in two French wingers — Yohan Baï and Jason Bahamboula — to round out their flanks. It remains to be seen how these new players mesh with the returning squad but it could be argued, at least on paper, that they'll be tougher to play against than the Wanderers side that started 2024.

Only two signed players were absent on Monday; striker Tiago Coimbra is continuing to train with West Ham United while Julian Dunn, who is still rehabbing in Ontario from an injury, is expected to join the group in a few weeks. It's not unreasonable to assume Dunn won't be match fit for some time.

The Wanderers also had several U-21 trialists in attendance, many of whom featured with their development squad last year. Ben Marsh — who scored Halifax's 2-1 winner over Ipswich Town in the International Summer Series in St. John's — and Connor Munn were present from Suburban, as well as goalkeeper Sinclair Astridge from Dalhousie University.

The Wanderers 2025 CPL - U Sports draft picks Matthew Paiva and Joven Mann were also in attendance; the club renounced their rights to Cape Breton University goalkeeper Dan Clarke ahead of the draft.

Positional needs: full-backs and a third goalkeeper

Although the bulk of the squad is built, the Wanderers are still in need of full-backs, specifically on the right side of the pitch. Despite the departures of Fernandez, Clément Bayiha and Riley Ferrazzo, the club has yet to sign anyone to fill out their depth chart.

The Wanderers have two options moving forward: either they can convert an existing player to play as a full-back or they can sign a free agent. A player like Jefferson Alphonse, who often plays as a right centre-back, could do in a pinch but that does little to offer positional depth should they have an injury.

Multiple sources said the club continues to have conversations with potential full-backs but it remains to be seen who or how many players the Wanderers could bring in ahead of the start of the season.

With the departure of Clarke, who signed a U Sports contract and served as the third-string keeper last year, the Wanderers will also be looking to round out between the sticks in case of injury or suspension. As Astridge is currently a student athlete, he'd similarly be eligible to a U Sports deal that would allow him to train and play throughout the spring and summer.

Interestingly, the Wanderers have yet to sign another No. 9, opting to rely on the continued progression of Coimbra with Ryan Telfer as a secondary option; any injury to either of these two players may expose the club's goal scoring depth, especially considering the transfer of Ferrin to York United FC.

Halifax's growing French connection

As mentioned in this week's 8 CPL Thoughts column, the vast majority of the Wanderers squad is French-first language.

It’s true that the club has traditionally recruited from the Province of Québec, something sporting director Matt Fegan has previously said is part of the Wanderers recruiting strategy; the gap between CF Montréal’s academy and first team is one they’ve tried to exploit over the years.

However, this off-season has seen the Wanderers add Meilleur-Giguère and Yesli from Québec, as well as Baï and Bahamboula from France, meaning the squad now boasts a dozen or so francophones. In an interview with The Wanderers Notebook, French midfielder Lorenzo Callegari joked that the only non-francophones on the squad are going to have to learn French to communicate on the pitch.

"I think we're just going to speak French," he said with a laugh.

On a more serious topic, Callegari discussed his decision to return to the CPL despite interest from clubs in his native France.

"It felt normal to come back here. I think the group, the coach, the coaching staff, they trust me a lot. That means a lot for me. It made it a bit obvious," he explained.

The full interview with Callegari will be released this coming weekend.

Gheisar expects goal scoring by committee, more compete

The Wanderers Notebook also sat down for an interview with head coach Patrice Gheisar following the session. Gheisar answered several questions, ranging from recruitment to pre-season scheduling, but discussed two topics at length: goal scoring and how the squad will compete this year.

"It's impossible to predict one guy but we have a great collection of attackers that will be able to do it," he said when asked how the Wanderers would fare following the departure of their two top goal scorers in Nimick and Ferrin.

"I'm certain, if I was sitting here three years ago and told you that Dan (Nimick) and Mass (Ferrin) were it, you who have said: 'Who?' We brought two young players, really terrific players for us and now we're looking at giving opportunities to other players like Camilo (Vasconcelos), who has been here waiting. I expect Sean Rea, with a full pre-season, to be a main, main, main guy that gets us going. Vitor (Dias) was injured a lot last year, we never saw his best but we saw flashes. (Giorgio) Probo scored a few goals but important goals and I think Ryan Telfer fully getting a pre-season — he missed pre-season (last year) — and Tiago Coimbra, who I think is going to take a massive, massive step in the right direction."

Concerning their style of play, Gheisar had a clear expectation: he wants his club to be the hardest team to beat in the CPL.

"If there's a message that we've spoken about with the team it's that we want to be the hardest team to beat. We are going to work every game and every day and we may miss a pass, we may miss a chance, we may give up a goal. Those things happen but we will have the highest level of enthusiasm and we will be the hardest team to beat because we're going to work to the last, last, last whistle," he explained. "That's our goal for this year.

The full interview with Gheisar will be released on Monday, February 17.

Cover Photo Credit: Halifax Wanderers FC