Tom's Seasiders' future is up in the air

Tom Aldred has a decision to make after being offered a new deal with Blackpool amid interest from elsewhere

The centre-back’s deal expires at the end of the current season but the club announced earlier this week they would be offering him a new contract.

It comes as speculation surfaces that League One side Bury have offered him a three-year deal, which would see Shakers boss Lee Clark work with him for a second time in his career.

But Bury face stiff competition, with rumoured interest from local rivals Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic.

When asked about his future after Blackpool’s play-off final triumph at Wembley, Aldred told The Gazette: “I haven’t really had time to think about it really, but I just need a rest.

“For me personally I will go away and I just need to think and rest my body, because as you’ve seen it’s not in the right state right now.

“In terms of the future, it’s just a case of sitting down with my family.

“But I wanted to be part of Blackpool going up because that was our mission.”

Blackpool’s promotion will mean a great deal to the 26-year-old given his history with the club, having experienced the lows of the club’s successive relegations.

But the defender, who was voted the club’s Player of the Season, insists this moment more than makes up for the disappointment he has faced while playing in tangerine.

“After the 4-1 win at Carlisle back in February there was just a feeling among the lads in the squad that we had a really strong team and we could achieve something special this season,” he said.

“To get into the play-offs is one thing but once you’re in there it’s a bit of a lottery, but we managed to beat Luton over two legs and then win at Wembley – which was an unbelievable feeling.

“It’s a great feeling to achieve what we set out at the beginning of the season. It’s always been our aim to get out of this league.

“It’s a club that’s obviously had back-to-back relegations and had been through everything, so to bounce back straight away with a good bunch of lads is a great feeling.

“Going back to League One is great, it’s a league we know well from last season. We feel we’re much more suited to that division as well.”

Despite the jubilation that greeted Blackpool’s victory last weekend, there were mixed emotions for Aldred on the day after he had to hold back the tears as he trudged off the field with an injury he’s been carrying for the past few months.

He said: “I’ve been carrying a knock for a couple of months now. I was gutted to come off in the final but the boys managed to get the job done, which was a great feeling.”