Why It Is Time for AC Milan to Cash in on Jeremy Menez in Transfer Window

It's hard to criticize the leading scorer, often the best individual player on the team, someone enjoying the best season of their career. Jeremy Menez has 16 goals in Serie A with AC Milan, just four back of Carlos Tevez.

His goals have won the Rossoneri as many as 25 points, according to Milannews.it (h/t Rossoneri Blog).

Without him, Milan would be fighting off relegation.

That's an indication of one of two things: Either Milan as a team rely on Menez too much or he simply has saved a struggling side from even more embarrassment.

Regardless, it has attracted interest from Europe's top clubs, and his time with Milan could end early. Liverpool are considering a move for the 28-year-old Frenchman, according to David Anderson of the Mirror, as well as Ligue 1's Monaco.

"Liverpool and Monaco? These are just rumours, there are rumours around every player," Menez's brother and agent said.

Selling the Frenchman, however, is probably a good idea.

Even as Menez has found the net, he has not found universal love. He can be greedy on the pitch, running past teammates in a better position to score, and he can be sloppy with the ball, too.

He also lacks discipline. He was handed a four-game ban after insulting a referee, effectively ending his season with Milan prematurely. It was a needless red card as his team lost at home to Genoa that led to his big suspension.

So here we have a paradox—Milan's best individual but one of their worst team players. The team actually thrived without Menez in the lineup against Roma at the weekend, Keisuke Honda benefiting the most from the space left over. The Japanese set up two goals, as he was granted the license to roam the pitch in place of Menez.

Former Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso sees those flaws. 

"Menez has scored many goals but on a leadership level, he's not done enough," Gattuso told Gazzetta TV (h/t Goal.com). "Always defending him if you are the coach is not good. Milan must try first of all to find men."

Luca Bruno/Associated Press

That's stinging criticism from one of Milan's greatest midfielders. He's not the only one: The Italian press has hounded him for months as well, leading Menez to celebrate one of his goals with a gesture toward the media in a game against Cagliari.

Clearly there is a big campaign against Menez, and Milan could be in a good position to make a quick buck off of his recent goalscoring exploits. Remember, he was a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, meaning any subsequent fee for Menez would come as a clear profit. 

It's not impossible to imagine a team like Liverpool or Monaco bidding around €10 million for him. It depends on how well they have scouted him. Menez has a flashy streak in him that sometimes outshines all the rest of his other questionable qualities—whether it's scoring off an improbable angle or a back heel.

"

"@BBCSporf: WOW: AC Milan forward Jeremy Menez with an incredible finish last night. https://t.co/C1V6hyO1Ms"@JoeWapshott1

— AaronJPerrin (@aaronjperrin) December 23, 2014"

Milan would be wise to clear house this off-season anyway, leaving any potential new manager and owner with a clean slate.

Italian newspaper Tuttosport reports that Milan will cut costs this summer in an attempt to raise €100 million (h/t Football Italia). Menez could figure into those cuts—and leave Milan a nice bit of change in return.