The transfer window will finally slam shut on Tuesday and Fulham are in the unusual position – in recent years, at least – of having already conducted the majority of their business. Marco Silva has signed three players – two of whom have quickly become key fixtures in his starting eleven as the Whites have stormed to the top of the Championship. Paulo Gazzaniga has started every league game in goal and Harry Wilson has added dynamism and goalscoring ability down the right flank.

Against the prevailing narrative of Fulham blowing huge wads of cash in an immediate attempt to return to the Premier League, the pair cost next to nothing. Gazzaniga arrived on a free transfer following his release by Tottenham earlier this summer, whilst Wilson has signed on an initial loan with payments on his permanent transfer from Liverpool deferred until next summer. The protracted saga of Rodrigo Muniz’s switch from Flamengo has now concluded, but only the first payment of two sets of £3.4m has been shelled out.

There have also been departures from Craven Cottage this summer. Stefan Johansen joined QPR and proven a key component in Rangers’ impressive start to the new season, whilst Aboubakar Kamara completed a move to Aris that may net Fulham as much as £4m. The precise nature of the deal that took Maxime Le Marchand to Strasbourg at the end of last week is not known, but contrary to some reports on Friday, Fulham did receive a fee. There may yet be further outgoings with Silva suggesting that Cyrus Christie could well leave the club early next week as the Republic of Ireland international is not in his plans and several Italian sides still hold a serious interest in Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa.

Silva’s squad is stacked full of talent but the head coach himself has made plain that he would like to supplement his resources in the final days of the window. There remains a lack of depth in terms of defensive midfielders, even though Harrison Reed’s return as a substitute against Stoke City this weekend was welcome. The proposed move for Matt Grimes appears to have gone quiet, but being linked with a replacement of the pedigree of William Carvalho was particularly eye opening. Fulham might also need a back up number ten as concerns persist about Tom Cairney’s long-term fitness – however well Fabio Carvalho has taken to senior football.

Silva did speak earlier in the window about the possibility of adding defensive cover, which might be a subject broached again in the corridors of power at Motspur Park now that Le Marchand has returned to France. There were surprising links with a loan for Manchester United’s Phil Jones last week, but his lack of game time over the past two years and a questionable injury record would make that something of a gamble – especially as Fulham already have two injury-prone defenders on their books. A younger alternative, such as the former Milan centre half Rodrigo Ely, could prove a sensible signing. In more recent days, the focus has been on a potential attention at right – given the seriousness of Kenny Tete’s hamstring injury – and it remains to be seen whether Denis Odoi’s assured display yesterday has changed Silva’s mind about re-entering the transfer market.

Silva’s system demands quality in the wide areas and I’d love the romance of offering Ryan Sessegnon a respite from his struggles at Spurs. He is a proven goalscorer at Championship level and desperately needs to recover his confidence after injuries and a lack of first-team football have several hampered his development in north London. You fancy he’d flourish in the Silva system and a consistent run of games would help him recover that zest that made him one of the country’s most promising talents.

Fulham do love a dramatic transfer deadline day – and I suspect the club will still have several irons in the fire. There will be links a plenty and Silva has been quite vocal about the fact that his work to improve the squad will not finish until the deadline passes. There’s no doubt that the club is going places will be an attractive proposition to potential signings, so hold onto your hats.