OPINION: Another eventful summer in store for Wigan Athletic - with vastly changed financial parameters

There maybe wasn't the tangible 'achievement' of recent years...be it clinching a title or avoiding relegation.

But make no mistake, to finish in the top half of the table - given everything that's gone on during the last 12 months - is well worthy of celebration.

And the scenes immediately after the game on the lap of appreciation showed this is a club that is well on the road to a bright future.

Whether that future involves many of the players who were on the field at the end remains to be seen.

Within 24 hours of the final whistle we'd already heard - via special media, as is the norm these days - from a couple of players whose contribution to the cause this term cannot be underestimated, but whose futures may well lie elsewhere.

Both Stephen Humphrys and Jordan Jones spoke very appreciatively about all aspects of the club, the fans and - very tellingly - the manager for the support they've received here.

Intriguingly, while appearing to say goodbye, both left the door tantalisingly ajar for possibly staying on.

The reality is, both players would already have been re-signed up long ago, if we were playing under 'normal' rules.

But nothing about the last 12 months - going back to the tail end of the Phoenix era, and into the new dawn under Mike Danson - has been 'normal'.

We're still waiting to hear what the financial landscape will look like for this summer and beyond.

It seems likely Latics will kick-off next term with a mid-table budget, with the target of mounting a push for the play-offs.

Long gone are the days when Latics could flex their muscles and blow the competition out of the water at this level.

And maybe - given how things have ended up twice in recent years - that's not necessarily a bad thing.

But it does mean Latics fans will have to get used to the likes of Jones and Humphrys perhaps wanting to stay and be part of the rebuild, but moving on to pastures new for more lucrative packages.

It's a short career, and players are entitled to do whatever they can to maximise their earning potential.

We'll see which direction both players take this summer, and wish them well whatever the outcome.

But as one or two doors close, another one or two open, and there should be cautious optimism about what can be achieved this summer in terms of recruitment.

Latics will have two huge advantages they didn't have last summer.

Firstly, they will not be working under the shackles of a transfer embargo, which has prevented them from shelling out fees in the last two windows.

We know there won't be massive amounts spent on transfer fees, but Latics were unable to spend even minimal amounts on talent they had identified in the market and, annoyingly, are now probably out of reach in terms of budget.

Secondly, players moving on means space being made on the wage bill, and several of the players out of contract this summer were at the high end of the balance sheet.

In some cases, they were players who didn't play a lot of football this season, and whose loss won't be hugely felt on the team sheet.

If the management can replicate the recruitment of the last year - on free agents such as Matt Smith and Steven Sessegnon, and loans like Luke Chambers and Martial Godo - there is no reason why Latics can't become stronger while reducing the wage bill.

In Shaun and Gregor we trust. But in the meantime, enjoy the off-season!