5 Players Milan Must Get Rid of in the January Transfer Window

Usually, top five lists are reserved for players who have demonstrated an ability to perform on the pitch and change the course of a match in a positive manner.

Here are five Milan players who get paid to watch the game from the stands—players who are in charge of making the half-time coffee and don't fall into the plans of Filippo Inzaghi for the new season.

By getting rid of these five, the Rossoneri could free up crucial wages that could go to players who'd actually help the squad as they look to get back into the Champions League.

Here are five Milan players who must be sold in the January transfer window:

Philippe Mexes

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Want indigestion and heartburn? Take a look at Philippe Mexes' salary this season. I won't even mention it here in writing as the editor might flag it on the basis of sheer vulgarity. Hint: Look at the number of fingers that Mexes is holding up in the photo, then add six zeros to the end of it.

Sucking up the salary that could be going to a top player who could be making the difference in the starting XI, Philippe Mexes has yet to play one minute in Serie A this season under Filippo Inzaghi.

Inzaghi most likely remembers how easy it was to get into Mexes' head from his playing days, as the ex-Roma central defender was a ticking time bomb on the pitch who was always a red-card threat away from being sent to the locker room where he could get back to enjoying his vast collection of Eastern European house music.

Milan must find a way to get rid of Mexes in January. The question is, who would actually take him and his exorbitant wage?

Cristian Zaccardo

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World Cup Trophies:

Lionel Messi: 0.

Cristiano Ronaldo: 0.

Cristian Zaccardo: 1.

Whether Milan hold on to Cristian Zaccardo just for the bragging rights of saying they have an ex-World Cup winner is still unknown.

The club tried everything other than physically hauling him to another team by force to get rid of him in the summer.

They nearly swapped him with Parma for Jonathan Biabiany in the summer, until Zaccardo decided not to agree to terms and Biabiany actually found out he had a heart problem during a physical.

Zaccardo spends his days acting as Milan's practice cone during warm-ups and donning their latest merchandise from the Casa Milan store on the bench. At 32 years old, the former Parma defender isn't physical enough to play in the center and lacks any semblance of pace to proficiently play out wide.

Daniele Bonera

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Four out of five doctors do not recommend watching Milan if Bonera is starting to patients with heart problems.

The biggest problem with Daniele Bonera is that Filippo Inzaghi actually plays him.

While the rest of this list is compiled by the "who's who" of notorious benchwarmers, Bonera has actually found a way to slither on the pitch as a starter more than one would hope for their sanity.

This season, he has been unbelievably poor. For a player with all his experience, you wouldn't expect a constant calamity of sorts.

It's time that the Rossoneri move on from these aging defenders and bring in the new generation who can grow with the club back to the glory days.

Michael Essien

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At this stage of his career, he's about as quick as evolution.

As good as he was in his prime with Chelsea, he's now a shadow of his former self.

The Ghanaian midfielder was brought in to add experience for the Champions League last season. Not only are Milan not in any European competition this season, but their motto is supposed to be centered around growing the youth.

Keeping Essien instead of selling Bryan Cristante to Benfica is one of the most inexplicable moves from Adriano Galliani in recent times.

Riccardo Saponara

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While Milan shouldn't sell Saponara, they should definitely loan him out in the January transfer window.

He was brought over from Empoli to compete for the starting attacking midfield position, but he hasn't been able to get much time with the club due to injuries and lack of form.

Saponara is more talented than any other player on this list and is actually young and can still improve. However, considering how stacked Milan's offense is, Saponara would struggle getting time even if he were healthy.