Everton boss Ronald Koeman has asked for more time to get things right following a slow start to the campaign, insisting that his "team is in transition".
The Toffees have failed to win any of their last five matches since a Europa League playoff victory over Hajduk Split, going down 3-0 to Atalanta BC in the most recent of those games on Thursday evening.
Koeman admitted to being "worried" by his side's latest abject display against the Italian outfit, seeing the club's return to continental football blighted, but the Dutchman believes that patience is the key going forward after bringing in an array of new players in the summer.
"Maybe it's easy to tell everybody that Everton would be fourth in the table and will fight for the Champions League because they have spent a lot of money," he told reporters. "But maybe the rest of the teams have spent even more money. And they didn't spend it because they already had the team they wanted.
"Our team is in transition. Everybody knows young players and foreign players coming to the Premier League need time. At big teams, these players get a year to adapt. And that's what we need [with some players]."
Everton are up against Manchester United in their next outing, before an EFL Cup tie against Sunderland and home league clash with Bournemouth on September 23.
Daniel Lewis
