Riding high in summer, shot down in Autumn

If there were two teams who were thought to have had successful summer transfer windows, it was Everton and AC Milan. Their goal was clear, Everton want to break into pack chasing Champions League football in the Premier League, while AC Milan aim to re-establish themselves among Europe's elite.

The Toffees become unstuck

Everton signed a number of highly rated players during the summer: Michael Keane, Davy Klaassen, Jordan Pickford, Gylfi Sigurdsson to name but a few. Ronald Koeman splashed out over £100m over the summer, as well as bringing in Wayne Rooney on a free transfer. The Merseyside club were willing to do whatever it took to try and break into the Champions League places in the Premier League.

Koeman is a technician and although he enjoyed a successful first season at Goodison Park last term, he has come under a lot of pressure in recent weeks. Poor results mixed with the hefty transfer spending could take its toll on the Dutch coach.

With just eight games gone in this Premier League campaign, Everton's results are already a cause for concern. Two wins, two draws and four losses. These numbers are less than acceptable considering the £100m layout during the off-season.

The Toffees are currently flirting with the relegation places, sitting in sixteenth place with just eight points and there is lots of discontent among the fans, who think their Everton side lacks direction.

What is happening in Milan?

From England to Italy with an identical case. Milan was also one of the big spenders during last summer. Leonardo Bonucci, Lucas Biglia, Ricardo Rodriguez, Hakan Calhanoglu, Andre Silva were some of the biggest names to move during the window. The 'Rossoneri' spent over £160m on new recruits.

At first, things seemed to be going to plan, as Milan won four of their first five Serie A games, but things have recently started to unravel for Vincenzo Montella's side.

Their form then reversed and they have since lost three of their last four league games, including a derby day defeat to eternal rivals Inter.

AC now find themselves in 10th place in the Serie A table, much lower than they were expecting at this stage of the season. It was thought that their new signings had made Milan one of the strongest teams in the country, which has not been demonstrated on the pitch so far.

There is still a long way to go in the season but Everton and AC Milan are two teams that go to show that a long list of summer signings is not necessarily a recipe for success.