The Wanderers have acquired Alessandro Biello on loan. But what can fans expect of the CF Montréal midfielder?

The plot — or their midfield, in this case — continues to thicken for the Halifax Wanderers as they added one of Canada's top prospects this week, signing 18-year old CF Montréal player Alessandro Biello on a season-long loan. His signature makes him the club's eighth midfielder under contract, joining a group that already boasts veteran pivots like Andre Rampersad, Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé and Lorenzo Callegari.

So, the question is, how will Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar find minutes for his CF Montréal loanee? And, given his limited professional experience, what are the expectations for Biello heading into the 2025 CPL season?

Biello's situation with CF Montéal

Simply put, Biello needs professional minutes.

Olivier Brett, who covers CF Montréal as RDS' play by play analyst, not to mention through his podcast, Au Fond des Filets, says the MLS side prioritized finding a good club to help develop Biello. It is but the latest in a series of examples of CPL clubs benefiting from CF Montréal's lack of opportunities for young players.

“Halifax are blessed that CF Montréal don’t have a reserve team, that’s the first thing I’d say,” Brett tells The Wanderers Notebook. “Alessandro is the kind of kid you would have had playing week in, week out in MLS Next Pro. The crux of the whole thing is playing time because he wasn’t going to have much (in Montréal).”

Biello managed only two MLS appearances in 2024, totaling 15-minutes. He also appeared in the Canadian Championship, making his professional debut against Forge FC on May 7, 2024. A similar lack of playing time, says Brett, would have been catastrophic for his development.

"He needs to play," he says.

Brett adds he spoke with CF Montréal president Gabriel Gervais in Florida this past week and had the chance to ask about Biello's move to Halifax versus another club.

"His main criteria, or at least one of the big ones was, that Halifax wanted him. I asked him is that synonymous with wanting him and being open and eager to play him? I think that's the expectation they have," he explains.

Although Biello has impressed in international competition, most recently playing a key role for the U-20 Canadian Men's National Team, it remains to be seen where he slots in with CF Montréal. He played as more of a wide midfielder during the Canadian Championship match but projects as a holding midfielder at the club level.

Brett says he sees Biello as more of a Samuel Piette-type, tasked with protecting the backline, but can play further up the pitch, especially as he rounds out his game.

“He’s a bit like (former CF Montréaler) Mathieu Choinière in the sense that I think if you tell him you’re playing on the sides or higher up the pitch, I think at this stage he’d be happy to play that," says Brett.

How will the Wanderers use him?

As mentioned, the Wanderers have a cornucopia of midfield options; of the eight midfielders under contract, all but Biello, Sean Rea and Isaiah Johnston are over the age of 25. Vitor Dias, Giorgio Probo, Callegari and Rampersad all also take up international slots, meaning the club is in a position where if any of these players aren't getting regular minutes, they'd have burned valuable roster flexibility.

However, there are hints at their tactical plan.

Gheisar says in Biello's signing release that the club plans on challenging the young midfielder to be more of a chance creator, meaning he'll likely play further up the pitch as alluded to by Brett.

“Alessandro has a promising future in the game and as he continues to grow, he’s going to be a player that will help us take a step towards where we want to go this season,” says Gheisar.

“He’s great at moving the ball forward and managing the tempo in midfield. We’re going to challenge him to be a chance creator and get forward to find opportunities for our attack.”

Interestingly, Wanderers president and owner Derek Martin also alluded to the club's roster build in an interview with Down the Pub Podcast last week, emphasizing their need for midfielders.

"Patrice plays a very defined system, it's very unique," says Martin. "It's three-box-three. The positions he looks for are different than what you guys would play on Football Manager or somewhere else. You don't need a fourth at the back. You don't need two full-backs who bomb up the lines, that's not how he sets up his team."

Should the Wanderers return to the 3-4-3 formation they played through parts of last year, it's plausible that there'll be four midfield slots available, meaning only two players fighting per spot.

Another important caveat is that Biello is U-21 eligible, meaning his playing time will contribute to the league requirement of 2,000 U-21 minutes per club. Only Biello's first 1,000 minutes can count towards that threshold as he joined the Wanderers on loan.

Still, for a club that has not hit their U-21 targets until the very end of the season, Biello should offer the Wanderers' coaching staff another option.

Cover Photo Credit: Forge FC