Gut feel is this summer will be the antithesis of last summer. Last year we brought on many players whom most everyone had heard of and were at least somewhat excited by (don't let the past year cloud memory - there was excitement last summer). Those players however, did not fit together to make a proper team and excitement turned into a crap season.
This summer I think we will sign (or loan) 3-5 players than many have never seen or possibly even really heard of. Heads will melt and the sky will fall because we are taking a perceived step backwards. The in-comings though will serve specific purpose and the XI on the pitch will actually play as a unit.
Best guess, we still finish 7 or 8, but we have a team that is worth watching and have made no major financial commitments allowing us time to finish unwinding the crap next summer and then really trying to move forward.