Manager Micky Mellon had already begun squad building before learning which division Oldham Athletic will play in the following season.
Mellon was already planning for life in League Two after securing promotion back to the Football League with a 3-2 extra time victory over Southend United.
However, some of the groundwork had already been put, with the Latics manager planning for any eventuality following the National League play-off final.
Unlike the players, who will now enjoy a well-deserved rest, Mellon and his staff must work hard to shape a group capable of facing the task of a successful return to the EFL.
This summer, 19 members of the 2024/25 squad will be out of contract. Alex Reid and Otis Khan, who finished the season on loan at Wealdstone and Yeovil, respectively, have had no involvement in the Latics’ play-off campaign.
Others include play-off final goalscorers Joe Garner and James Norwood, January acquisitions Corry Evans and Joe Pritchard, defenders Charlie Raglan, Mark Kitching, Shaun Hobson, and Will Sutton, and top scorer Mike Fondop.
The retained list for Latics is set to be released before the end of the week, while Wembley man of the match Tom Pett is a free agent after being released by Cheltenham Town, as is Jordan Rossiter after leaving Shrewsbury, who loaned him to Latics in January.
When asked after the final whistle at Wembley Stadium when he would get down and begin planning for next season, Mellon told The Oldham Times, “We’ve already done bits.
“We’ve got some signings that we’ve got done already that we’d worked on.”
Mellon continued, referring to the number of players out of contract, “We’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’ll be okay.”
When asked directly about Wembley goal heroes Garner and Norwood and their ability to earn promotion, Mellon said: “They’re just terrific boys and genuinely decent individuals. We want to maintain excellent people at the football club because good people get you stuff like we did (on Sunday), and we’re happy about it.
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