Why AC Milan Would Be Right to Consider Selling Jeremy Menez

There were precious few bright spots last season for AC Milan.  The team couldn't defend, the strikers couldn't find the goal, and their mentality was awful.  By the end of the season it was apparent that the majority of the players had given up on the season.

One of the few positives came from Jeremy Menez.  The Frenchman arrived at the San Siro on a free transfer last summer, and former coach Filippo Inzaghi immediately placed him in a false-nine role.  Menez started with a bang, scoring three times in his first two games in red and black.

It took him two months to score and again, but when he did, he potted four in three appearances.  He ended up scoring 16 times and scored multiple times in four of his games.  The tally was good for fifth in the league, and he added four assists as well.

But his impressive statistics are only part of the story.  Indeed, once you look at Menez as a total package, a strong argument could be made that it would be in Milan's best interests to sell him.

The shiny numbers last season glossed over some major problems.  Menez has always been a player with a selfish streak.  All too often Menez led the charge down the field on a breakaway only to keep the ball way too long, and he was either run down a blind alley and forced into a bad pass or dispossessed outright.  

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According to WhoScored.com, he only averaged 1.4 key passes per match last season—in contrast to an average 1.7 unsuccessful touches and 2.5 dispossessions per game.  His feet tended to be where attacks went to die.

The shine on that goal total also gets smirched a little bit when you take into account the fact that half of them came from the penalty spot rather than open play.  That was especially true in the second half of the season, when Mattia Destro's arrival on loan from Roma saw Menez move from the middle as a false nine to a more natural wing position.

There were long stretches last year when Menez simply didn't pass the eye test.  During the last five games of the season—four of which Menez was suspended for after verbally abusing referees, the fifth simply saw him dropped—Milan's attacking game looked far more fluid, with more passing and less mindless driving forward.

They lost two of those games, but that can mostly be blamed on red cards.  The other three were three of their more commanding wins of the season.  Anyone with eyes could see that Milan's attack was better without Menez on the field.

Looking past his technical flaws, Menez is also going to be the victim of a numbers game.  Once he finally returns from the back injury—his expected return has been pushed back to January—there doesn't seem to be a place for him.

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Playing him as a striker is almost out of the question.  Carlos Bacca should be taking every available minute up front as a lone striker, and if Sinisa Mihajlovic reverts to a pair then both Luiz Adriano and Mario Balotelli (when healthy) are far better options.

He's also going to run into a crowd at his natural wing position.  On the left, Giacomo Bonaventura has proved undroppable.  Unless Mihajlovic switches to something like a 4-2-3-1 and shifts the 26-year-old back inside, the wing is the best place for him.  Dropping him back as a box-to-box midfielder, as happened against Juventus last weekend, exposes his deficiencies as a defender.

Even if Bonaventura were to take up a role in the hole behind the striker, the emergence of M'Baye Niang as a true alternative on the left is going to make it difficult for Menez to break back in.  The 20-year-old has found the target with two shots in three games, according to Squawka.com, and he's only going to get better.  Menez, on the other hand, has already peaked.

While it's possible to play him on the right as a traditional winger to provide an alternative for Alessio Cerci, it's not a natural place for him and may not produce the desired results.

Putting Menez up for sale is Milan's best option.  Regardless of how they came, his record of 16 goals last season is going to look mighty good to some team's transfer chief.

If there were ever a time to cash in on him, it would be now.  Transfermarkt.com lists his current value at €15 million, a number that is almost certainly a direct tie-in with his statistics from last season.  Milan may not get that for him, but because he came over on a Bosman last year, any price would represent a substantial profit.

Selling Menez is the right thing to do.  It will relieve some of the pressure on a bloated squad and cash in on a middling player who is on his highest peak.  If they get a good offer, the club should give it serious consideration.