Fulham lose Joao Palhinha and Tosin Adarabioyo, but top signings could feature in a new XI to make it to Europe
Fulham have yet to make a signing this summer, but could become the Premier League's next surprise.
The Cottagers finished 13th last season and are now heading into their fourth campaign under Marco Silva.
Early transfer activity saw centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo depart at the end of his contract and join west London rivals. Chelsea free.
They then lost star midfielder Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich in a deal reportedly worth £46.5m.
However, talkSPORT understands that Fulham are confident signing of Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal in what would be a great signing.
Ryan Sessegnon has also been linked with a return to the club, and talkSPORT.com has analysed what Silva's starting XI could look like next season.
Bernd Leno looks set to remain their first-choice goalkeeper after starting all 38 Premier League games and keeping ten clean sheets last season.
At left-back, Antonee Robinson enjoyed another fine campaign for Fulham, racking up seven assists in all competitions.
He was named the club's Player of the Season and played for the United States in the Copa América, assisting on one goal.
While Adarabioyo may prove a notable absentee, Calvin Bassey's 32 appearances last season were the most of any Fulham centre-back.
The Nigeria international joined from Ajax last summer and helped keep seven clean sheets in his first year at Craven Cottage.
He could well be joined by Issa Diop in central defence, a combination that has featured 11 times under Silva.
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Timothy Castagne has started 29 games for Fulham at right-back since joining from Leicester last August and is likely to remain ahead of 28-year-old compatriot Kenny Tete.
Palhinha's departure is a blow to Fulham's midfield, with the Portuguese international making the most tackles in the Premier League last season with 152.
However, they are reportedly close to signing André from Brazilian side Fluminense, a move worth over £20m, according to talkSPORT revealed in December.
The 23-year-old has 189 caps for his club and five caps for Brazil, and could feature alongside Tom Cairney.
Having first signed for Fulham in 2015, Cairney is the club's longest-serving player and captain, so his experience and leadership will likely be key to their success.
Fulham's attacking midfield could see the arrival of one of the most interesting signings of the summer. Smith Rowe from Arsenal.
They are close to agreeing what will be a club-record £35million contract for the 23-year-old, who has struggled for consistent playing time at the Emirates Stadium over the past two seasons.
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Smith Rowe is likely to battle for a starting place with Andreas Pereira, who made the joint-most appearances with Robinson last season with 44 and racked up 12 goal contributions.
The duo could also form an attacking midfield partnership ahead of Andre or Cairney, although potential new signing Smith Rowe may have the edge.
Willian has enjoyed plenty of success on the left flank of Fulham's attack with ten goals and seven assists to his name in two seasons.
However, at 35, Silva could opt for a younger option in the form of Sessegnonwith reports saying he is close to returning.
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The 24-year-old left for Tottenham in 2019 as a rising star but was released following an unfortunate injury-plagued spell.
Sessegnon was Training with Crystal Palace early in the summer, but he is likely to return to Craven Cottage, where he previously made 120 appearances and scored 25 goals.
On the opposite flank, Harry Wilson provided the most combined goals and assists last season for Fulham – five and nine respectively.
Willian and Alex Iwobi could provide competition there, but Wilson may be Silva's preferred option, especially now that Bobby De Cordova-Reid has joined Leicester.
Finally, in attack, Silva seems willing to repay the trust placed in Rodrigo Muniz after an excellent second half of the season that allowed him to finish as top scorer with ten goals.
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