CF Montreal Loans Ilias Iliadis To Atletico Ottawa

Atletico Ottawa’s midseason roster moves don’t just involve some hefty international signings: the club is now bringing in Greek-Canadian defensive midfielder Ilias Iliadis on loan from CF Montreal, having mutually terminated its contract with Zakaria Bahous to make roster room for the move.

Iliadis, 22, is a product of the Panathinaikos Academy who had featured for their reserves and, since landing in Canada, needs further game time to develop with first team minutes.

The Greek-Canadian defensive midfielder had joined CF Montreal this January, but after making five appearances in the club’s first eight matches – the last of which saw him get handed a second yellow – he went on to feature just once in the next 15. It’s clear that Hernan Losada wants to see more growth from the youngster, so what better place to do it than the league that helped the likes of Jonathan Sirois and Sean Rea blossom?

Atletico Ottawa CEO Fernando Lopez describes the Iliadis as someone with a bright future ahead of him who the club believes will not only prove himself to be a valuable asset to the squad, but one who will play a crucial role in the second half of the season, too.

“We are delighted to welcome Ilias to the Atleti Family,” said CEO Fernando Lopez. “He is a young, talented midfielder with a bright future ahead of him. We believe he will be a valuable asset to our team as we make a strong push in the second half of the Canadian Premier League season and will have a crucial role to play within the squad.”

“This is an exciting addition to the team and a testament to the trust that is continuously being developed between Atletico Ottawa and CF Montréal,” added Lopez, who already brought Jean-Aniel Assi in on loan from Montreal at the start of the season.

“Ilias is a player with immense potential and a great understanding of the game,” adds head coach Carlos Gonzalez. “His qualities are a perfect fit to bring even more versatility to our style of play, I have no doubt that he will fit perfectly into our team dynamic. I look forward to seeing him on the pitch and working with him to ensure we maximize his impact during the final stretch of the season.”

The outbound Bahous had played a 42 matches in his two seasons with Atletico Ottawa, featuring in nearly every match last season en route to a regular season championship. This season saw him come off the bench in nearly every match, though he didn’t participate in the last three games.

Flashback: Ottawa Brings In PLSQ Standout Zakaria Bahous

“Thank you Ottawa, thank you for an amazing year and a half,” Bahous said online, “Through the people working there and the amazing fans, I grew as a man and footballer. Moving on the next steps now, but keeping Ottawa in my heart.”

With Atletico Ottawa resting in sixth place and outside of a playoff position, the club will be eager to put in a strong showing for the second half of the season to lock in a playoff position. Atletico Ottawa hosts Cavalry tonight, with Iliadis eligible for selection.