As Sedgley mentions, I think it'll be a bigger shift towards the model next season. We've laid some groundwork (Roughan, Edun, Sanders and Scully spring to mind) but I suspect that, although we're ahead on the timeline in terms of league position, we might be a little further back in terms of recruitment.
By that I mean a few of our main players are loan signings and MA has said we'll be looking to be less reliant on that next season. Obvious circumstances probably changed the initial plan slightly.
Just touching upon this again, and I wasn't actually looking for this thread but came across it, this feels like it's been quite a big transfer window for us, almost a milestone, and not necessarily in terms of bringing in attacking players but pieces of the jigsaw coming together.
What's been more noticeable in recent signings (summer window and this) are that the players coming in and/or the Clubs we're loaning them from are commenting on Appleton's reputation as a top coach, the style of play, the Club being settled and well-run and also the reputation the Club (now) have for developing young(er) players. Reputations take a while to build, but it feels like we're around about that point now where we have really solid foundations in place to move forward in that respect.
Scully is the final player of the first batch (Montsma, Edun and Grant the other three I'd say, albeit Grant wasn't an MA signing but definitely an MA project IMO) and I'd be hugely surprised if Scully still with us on September 1st. Montsma's injury will hamper him.
I look at Poole as someone who's in the later batch to come in, likewise Eyoma and Sorenson. Long, Roughan and Draper highly rated from the youth set-up and have been in and around the first team for a decent period of time so it'll be interesting to see how their careers go. Will House and and Kendall fall into the third batch, although big steps up?
In terms of loan signings, we're clearly trusted by the bigger teams. Brennan was obviously a decent player already when he came here and someone who needed games, and no doubt Appleton's coaching helped, but whilst his development didn't help us on the pitch beyond this season, I think it's left us with a secondary positive, which is that people have seen what he's done this season off the back of his season here. I think he's gone down as a very important loan signing for the Club in that respect.
I'm not sat here typing this saying it's going to be rosey, it's going to work constantly, the above players will all be sold for big money or we're going to end up in the Championship by doing it this way because we don't have a crystal ball but I'm comfortable it won't be through a lack of a process, a vision and infrastructure in place.
A key sign is what those coming in comment on and what parent Clubs say about us and whilst some of it might well be the normal football spiel, they can't all be wrong, can they?