Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Having tasted success in his two seasons in India, returning Roar skipper Tom Aldred is intent on leading Brisbane to similar glory in the A-:League.
After captaining the Roar for five seasons without lifting any silverware, Aldred left Brisbane in 2024 to join Indian Super League heavyweights Mohun Bagan.
It was a successful two years for the veteran central defender in India, where he won the ISL Shield, the ISL Cup and the Indian Football Association Shield.
Now back at the Roar, where he has also regained the captaincy, Aldred wants more titles.
“That two-year period away has allowed me to step away from here and to come back with a different mindset in terms of having had a successful period,” Aldred said ahead of Brisbane’s opening game the season on Friday night against Perth Glory at Suncorp Stadium.
“I now know what it takes to get over the line, and hopefully I can help the club and my teammates to do that.”
Aldred said his return to the Roar made “sense” after being approached by the club’s sporting director, James Gow.
“Transfer windows can be a bit crazy for players and for clubs,” he said.
“For me, the club I was at in India, at the time I was close to staying and then that didn’t happen and then I nearly went somewhere else … but then I had a phone call with James Gow, so from that I knew that there was potential ambition for me to come back to the club.
“That conversation led to another, and before you knew it, I was back in Brisbane.
“Things in football happen quickly. After I’d done my two years away, it’s making even more sense now that I’m back that this was the only move that I really wanted to make.
“I’m just delighted to be back, and among the club and the A-League, and I’m looking forward to getting started, for sure.”
Roar coach Michael Valkanis said 36-year-old Aldred’s experience would be vital for Brisbane this season.
“We wanted to bring in someone that could settle in with our younger central defenders, lead them and lead the defence,” Valkanis said of the England born centre-back who obtained his Australian citizenship two years ago.
“It was an opportunity that came about unexpectedly, and it was one that we had to take.
“He has fitted in like he hasn’t left. He knows the place, he knows what Brisbane wants and he knows where we want to go.
“Age is not an issue. It’s about being able to do your job on the pitch with the way we want to play.”
