Former Blackpool star Tom Aldred is set to leave Brisbane Roar after four years with the Australian A-league side.
Aldred, who played for Scotland at Under 19 level, is understood to be unable to agree to a new deal with The Roar, for whom he has played more than 100 times. However, having recently become an Australian citizen, it is unlikely that the 33-year-old will be back on the West Coast of England soon. In fact, he has attracted interest from the Western Sydney Wanderers in the A-League.
They’re not the only side thought to be interested in the defender. Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters have been credited with interest, while South Korean outfit FC Seoul were looking in the winter window but delayed a move due to his Australian citizenship not being cleared up.
Wherever he goes, he’ll be a sore loss to The Roar, whom he has captained in every one of the 115 games he has appeared in. He was a similar loss for Blackpool back in 2016/17, where he earned their Player of the Season award and helped them to promotion out of League Two.
https://twitter.com/brisbaneroar/status/1525313199595081728
Born in Bolton, Aldred came up through the youth ranks at Carlisle United, making five senior appearances. That alerted Championship outfit Watford, who agreed on an undisclosed fee for him. Loan spells with Stockport County and Inverness Caledonian Thistle followed, but he was unable to break through with the Hornets. A move to Colchester was equally as frustrating, again loan spells making up the sum of his senior football.
It was only after a move to Accrington that he began to get regular football, earning their Player of the Season award in 2015. That led him to the then-Championship Tangerines; he signed for them on an emergency loan, penning a permanent deal a few days later. He suffered back-to-back relegations with the Seasiders but played an integral part in helping them bounce back from League Two through the play-offs. An ill-fated move to Bury followed, which twice saw him loaned to SPFL outfit Motherwell before he upped sticks and left the UK for good.
His next move seems destined to take him somewhere a little more glamorous than Accrington or Blackpool, wherever that may be as he leaves Brisbane.
Writer’s View
For some fans in Lancashire, Tom Aldred might feel like a blast from the past, but he’s thrived since going Down Under. Fans of the Roar are sad to see him go despite his advancing years.
His career trajectory proves that these far-flung countries are no longer the football backwaters they once were. Aldred was a big player for Blackpool and impressed at Motherwell, and he’s made a solid career out of appearing in the A-League.
It’ll be interesting where he ends up next, but wherever it is, it does blaze a trail for other players thinking outside of the box as the retained lists come out.
