Clause Met: Options Triggered On Four Halifax Wanderers Players

A press release from the Halifax Wanderers has revealed that four players met their appearance clauses and have automatically triggered their club options for 2024.

Defender Daniel Nimick and midfielders Callum Watson, Lorenzo Callegari, and Tomas Giraldo have now extended their stay at Wanderers Grounds for another season.

The presumptive return of Dan Nimick – who’s surely turned heads at higher levels – will be cause for great celebration out east. After going through the the MLS SuperDraft without landing a contract, Nimick has made a name for himself as not only just a top Canadian Premier League athlete who was nominated for the league’s defender of the year award, but also someone possibly on the doorstep of a national team camp nod too.

The sturdy centre-back contributed six goals and three assists beyond his defensive duties, proving to be a big presence at both ends of the pitch – and all in his rookie season.

Lorenzo Callegari’s return is no small potatoes either: the player of the year nominee proved to be the de facto pass wizard of the league, leading the CPL with 2,046 passes overall – a stat miles ahead of anyone else.

The Paris Saint-Germain product is someone who can take the ball and simply make magic – when he has the ball, he draws players in and still produces something to take your breath away. A league-high 233 recoveries reflects his steely influence in the middle of the pitch, with Monsieur Callegari putting on a weekly show that culminated in Halifax getting its first-ever home playoff game.

Having turned professional with Halifax this year, English midfielder Callum Watson cemented himself as a familiar face in the Wanderers team sheet. He tallied three goals and one assist through 26 appearances overall, and will be hoping that his second year of football sees continued growth for the former Colchester youth product.

It’d been a long journey for Tomas Giraldo to showcase himself: injuries had hampered a prior loan spell to FC Edmonton, and an absence at the start of the season suggested a similar path might occur in 2023. Instead, the midfielder started to rack up appearances as the year progressed, finishing with 19 to his name – and two goals to boot.

The real question now is how Giraldo performs come 2024: if he can stay healthy, he could prove to be a great pickup by the Wanderers’ front office. With only one full ninety in the bag so far, however, the jury’s still out.

The club also confirmed that it has until December 31 to trigger its options on defenders Cristian Campagna, Riley Ferrazzo, Doneil Henry, Ryan James, Cale Loughrey and Jake Ruby, midfielders Aidan Daniels and Armaan Wilson, and forwards Theo Collomb and Fumpa Mwandwe, while midfielder Mo Omar and goalkeeper Aiden Rushenas will be out of contract by the year’s end.

Suffice to say, head coach Patrice Gheisar has some thinking to do, but it seems like the core group of athletes will stay in place – and given how the new-look Wanderers gelled together this year, that bodes well for 2024.