Positives & negatives of Mohun Bagan tying down Tom Aldred to new long-term contract

Tom Aldred has signed a new one-year contract with Mohun Bagan Super Giant.

Mohun Bagan are on the way to shaping a strong squad to help them compete on all fronts in the 2025-26 season. The Mariners have the responsibility of having to defend their Indian Super League double next season, as well as compete strongly in cup competitions, especially in the AFC Champions League Two.

The Mariners have been able to secure the services of Tom Aldred for at least another campaign. Amidst rumours of his possible departure, the Scottish defender has been able to sign a one-year contract renewal with the Kolkata side. It’s not surprising that they pushed for this, considering how Aldred played an important role in their success last season.

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The 34-year-old has been able to prove himself as a pretty reliable, commanding figure in their backline. He produced a number of impressive performances to help them keep the best defensive record in the ISL last season. After his renewal, here we look at the positives and negatives to Aldred signing a new deal with the Mariners.

Positives

Leadership skills

Aldred joined Mohun Bagan at a point where he’s already garnered a lot of qualities to his skillset. That involves a sense of leadership in the manner in which he is able to motivate those around him. The Scottish defender can be a vocal figure at the back, being able to guide his teammates to maintain an ideal defensive line and energise those around him as well.

Aldred likes to go with a more cautious style by reading the opposition’s attacking moves perfectly and reacting at the right time, rather than committing to challenges easily. He has the presence of an inspired leader, being able to pick up his teammates when they’re under pressure and drive them forward with his clever forward passes. His motivational skills are an extra boon for the Mariners and add more resolve to the team.

Sheer experience levels

The major reason why the Mariners banked on Aldred for at least one more season is probably because of the amount of experience and knowledge he brings to their backline. The 34-year-old has been playing at the professional level for over 16 years now and has played for clubs like Blackpool and Motherwell in the past. He has played across various levels, including the physical playing style in England, to help him get an ideal of how to bully forwards and keep up with the physical attacking players.

His experience level was a key reason why the Scottish defender took little time to adapt to Indian football and was so effective last season. To find a similarly experienced and able defender would’ve been a tough proposition, which is why Mohun Bagan probably gave him a new deal.

Perfect partner for Alberto Rodriguez

The reason why Mohun Bagan were able to keep 15 clean sheets in the 2024-25 ISL season was because they found a perfect defensive partnership for it. The Mariners took a risk at going with a totally new duo of Alberto Rodriguez and Tom Aldred, but it paid off brilliantly. That is because both their foreign centre-backs are a perfect fit for each other.

While Rodriguez likes being the more aggressive centre-back who loves moving further forward to make crunching tackles and hassle opponents, Aldred is the calmer personality who plays as a cover centre-back. They formed a great partnership, being able to mirror their movement perfectly and knowing exactly when to cover for one another. That is a reason why Aldred was retained for another season, with the Mariners desperate to hold onto this duo.

Negatives

Make Mohun Bagan reliant on a double foreign defensive duo

Mohun Bagan’s decision to renew Aldred’s contract means that they are probably planning on sticking with the defensive partnership of him and Alberto Rodriguez for the foreseeable future. The Mariners might sign an Indian centre-back in the summer, but the Aldred-Rodriguez duo is likely to be the go-to, first-choice pairing for the 2025-26 season.

That would mean Mohun Bagan be forced to make sacrifices in their foreign department for other positions. As two foreign slots are taken by defenders, they can only play two more foreigners in the ISL matches. Hence, they would probably be forced to go with an All-Indian midfield and winger pairing next season. This could increase their chances of becoming predictable and their vulnerabilities being found out.

Potential injury risk

Even though Tom Aldred brings a wealth of experience and IQ to Mohun Bagan’s backline, he isn’t really the youngest defender anymore. Mohun Bagan are potentially in for an exhaustive 2025-26 season, as they will compete in the ISL, cup competitions and also look to go deep into the AFC Champions League Two. That means they are going to be playing matches at a regular interval, and that will raise the intensity of pressure on the players.

It could have a potentially negative effect on someone like Aldred, who at the age of 34 could be a bit prone to injuries if overworked and if driven above the limit. They’ll have to hope that the 34-year-old can maintain his fitness and avoid injuries, because a major problem could ruin their effort to renew his deal.

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