The winter transfer window across Europe closed on Tuesday, and a number of teams -- not the usual big-spenders -- that were scrambling to fill vacancies and address needs for the second half of their respective seasons were able to add some valuable pieces to the puzzle.

Queens Park Rangers fall into that category, adding firepower in the form of former Lazio striker Djibril Cisse and Fulham forward Bobby Zamora.

The winter transfer window across Europe closed on Tuesday, and a number of teams -- not the usual big-spenders -- that were scrambling to fill vacancies and address needs for the second half of their respective seasons were able to add some valuable pieces to the puzzle.

Queens Park Rangers fall into that category, adding firepower in the form of former Lazio striker Djibril Cisse and Fulham forward Bobby Zamora.

The winter transfer window in Europe is set to close today, and teams are still scrambling to fill vacancies and address needs for the second half of their respective seasons.

While we don't seem likely to have any megastars making winter transfer moves, despite resurgent rumors of Carlos Tevez to AC Milan, there is still some serious talent changing addresses.

I stumbled across this story when catching up on all the latest football news and thought i would highlight here not because it is one of the biggest transfer stories on this last day of the transfer window, but rather because of its almost near obscurity.

Frankly, speaking , i thought Toni had retired from the game so imagine my shock when i read that he had actually been with Juventus all this time.

By FRANCO PANIZO

Chelsea is looking for a better second half of the season in the Premiership, and it is hoping the signing of an attacking midfielder will help them do that.

Chelsea is set to sign Kevin De Bruyne from Belgian club RC Genk on a five-year deal.

Rumors have been swirling recently involving German midfielder Michael Ballack possibly making the move to Major League Soccer.

Ballack, best known for his heroics in the 2002 World Cup Final and time spent with Chelsea and Bayern Munich, has been linked to the expansion Montreal Impact for the past few months.

guest writer Luca Cetta Looking to build from a start to the season in which they sit second behind Milan only on goal difference and remain the only unbeaten side in Europe's top leagues, January is shaping up to be an important month on and off the pitch for Juventus. During 2009-2010 Juventus lost three out of four in January, while last season's disastrous loss against Parma.

The Serie A's Golden Bin nominations have been revealed and i am quite surprised to see who made the list. Once again Juventus dominates the list with Felipe Melo ( who i thoroughly agree should be on the list) and Milos Krasic making the cut.

Others who made the list include Luca Toni, Amauri, Diego Milito, Diego Forlan, Mauro Zarate, Adrian Mutu, Santiago Silva of Fiorentina and Eduardo from Genoa.

Wow. JT's only been benched for a game and already Frank has found a new BFF. Will his former bezzie cope? Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images Europe.

Bad news. Due to a series of unexpected international friendly results at the weekend, the 'Kickette Betting for Beverages' budget has taken a massive hit.

If something in your past shows up on a Google search, be prepared to explain it. Luca Toni has been made painfully aware of this rule of thumb ever since news of his recent run-in with the law went public.

Toni, who currently rides the Juventus bench, was given an alcohol breath test outside a restaurant in Modena DATE.

The first thing Andrea Pirlo must've said when he saw that bizzare photo above was : "è che un lupo mannaro con meno capelli?!" (is that a werewolf with lesser hair?). What else is this Halloween Juventus extravaganza supposed to be about, if doesn't involve their own coach, Antonio Conte, dressed up in a Count Dracula suit?

After a quite incredible week which saw Internazionale coach Gian Piero Gasperini lose his job just three games into the Serie A season, one thing is abunduntly clear in the world of Italian Football the Scudetto is definitely there to be won.

For the first time in a long time, there is no clear front runner to win the league and there is a growing belief that one of as many as 7 or 8 different clubs could be crowned champions at the end of the season.

One of our first football manager games had Gianluca Vialli on the cover, and it wasn't the best one around but the former Chelsea (player-manager), Juventus and Sampdoria man is still quite a character. For starters, Vialli's English-Italiano accent remains quite sexy thanks to his wife!

Juventus inaugurated their new stadium with a visual smorgasbord. In one of the classiest gestures in living memory, they invited Notts County who gifted the Old Lady their signature black and white pinstripes in 1903 after responding to a sartorial emergency which would have doomed the Turin club to wearing pink and being confused for Palermo.

Der holländische Tulpengeneral Louis van Gaal, zu diesem Zeitpunkt noch Trainer beim FC Bayern München, hat es nicht so mit den Journalisten. Wenn sie aber seiner Meinung nach auch noch schlecht informiert sind und nicht einmal ihren Job richtig gut machen, dann braucht man ihnen auch gar nichts mehr zu erklären.

Photo by Jacopo J. Modesti

Juventus announced today the signing of Montenegro international Mirko Vucinic, ending the clubs long search for an impact striker. The former Roma star will cost the Turin club 15 million euro, a significantly smaller fee than the club had been willing to pay for their previous targets.

Rob Kinnan PhotographyJuventus 1, Chivas de Guadalajara
Two of the most well known teams from around the world arrived in Raleigh, North Carolina to do battle as part of the Herbalife World Football Challenge. Juventus FC arrived to represent the Italian Seria ‘A' while Mexican powerhouse Chivas de Guadalajara arrived to represent the FMF Primera Division.

Rob Kinnan PhotographyJuventus 1, Chivas de Guadalajara
Two of the most well known teams from around the world arrived in Raleigh, North Carolina to do battle as part of the Herbalife World Football Challenge. Juventus FC arrived to represent the Italian Seria ‘A' while Mexican powerhouse Chivas de Guadalajara arrived to represent the FMF Primera Division.

Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov could be on his way out of the club, as reports are linking the Bulgarian with a move to the Italy.

Serie A outfit Juventus, who are seeking attacking reinforcements after making it clear that the likes of Vincenzo Iaquinta and Luca Toni will not feature prominently in the coming season, struggled for goals during their recent 2-1 defeat to Sporting Lisbon in an exhibition match in Toronto.

Juventus left Philadelphia yesterday and headed out on a train to go up to New York, where the Italian giants will face Mexican side Club America at Citi Field (home of the New York Mets).

During Juventus' stay in Philadelphia, the team's website tracked the every movement of the players, including where the club was due to travel.

Before Juventus took the field against Sporting Lisbon at BMO Field this weekend, Luca Toni (along with Andrea Pirlo and Alessandro Matri, not pictured) took a walking tour of Toronto, Canada.

Wave hello to Luca Toni, Kickettes. He's unexpectedly popped by for a visit, catching us (and our makeup-less faces) slightly off guard.

Whether MLS coaches like it or not, another full wave of friendlies packs the weekend schedule, with games involving European teams taking place in five North American cities.

Four of the games are part of the World Football Challenge, as high-profile teams Manchester United, Real Madrid and Manchester City continue their tours of America.

Can a man's work be separated from his personal life? Movie-watchers must ask themselves if it is possible to enjoy the works of Roman Polanski knowing of the sexual allegations directed towards the director, or if Mel Gibson's bigotry should lead them to boycott his films. Cesena fans find themselves faced with a similar dilemma this season, as the club brings in Adrian Mutu to help an anemic.

It was a little surprising that with all the big names touring the U.S. this summer, that no Italian were involved. Well that changed with the news that Juventus, the 27-time Italian champion, will play three friendlies in America in late July.

Only one of the three games has been formally announced and it is a good one.

A star-studded lineup takes to the field to celebrate Gary Neville's career as Manchester United hosts Juventus in a club friendly at Old Trafford (2:35 p.m., Fox Soccer Channel).

Manchester United's starting XI features the likes of Neville, his brother Phil and Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham.

Den Kultkaiser oder den knorrigen Louis van Chaaal kennt in Deutschland sicher jeder Fussballfan. Dass dahinter der Comedian Matze Knop steckt ist auch jedem bekannt und dass er auch noch weitere Personen aus dem Fussballgeschäft parodiert sowieso. Da bekommt Dortmunds Meistertrainer Jürgen Klopp genauso sein Fett weg wie Wolfsburgs Felix Magath oder wie unser aller [.

Luca Toni was dismissed as a flop by Genoa's president - but his winner against his old club kept Juve's European hopes alive.
Luca Toni tastes sweet revenge as Juventus win lunchtime thriller.

Every Monday morning Julian De Martinis looks back over the Serie A action and points out six things that have been highlighted. Good and bad performances, wins, losses, relegation or title contenders, you'll find a little of everything in this feature. Yugo Nagatomo is tireless When Inter signed the twenty-four year old Japanese player from Cesena, they probably expected a solid fullback,.

In late Autumn and early Winter Juventus strung together an unbeaten run that lasted eighteen games, a feat they managed playing a largely unchanged line-up and using the same formation every week. What began the season as Gigi Delneri's favoured formation became very different, dropping the wing-based shape he utilised at Sampdoria and relying on eighteen year old defender Frederik.

Juventus vs Genoa 2011 10th April 2011- 10/4/11- Turin, Italy- Serie A Final score:- Juventus vs Genoa 3-2 ( Rossi own goal, Matri, Toni/ Bonucci own goal, Floro Flores) Luca Toni's late goal gives Juventus a 3-2 comeback win over Genoa at home. Bizarrely enough, both sides scored own goals- Marco Rossi for Genoa and [.

How Fiorentina banished the nightmares of C2 Finding a ticket to an old football match at the bottom of a drawer is like discovering hidden treasure. It flicks a time-travel switch sending the mind scrabbling backwards trying to recall as much detail as possible about the game concerned. It stirs the soul with emotions from another era.

Serie A Weekly is proud to present another episode of this beautifully written feature from well known and respected journalist Giancarlo Rinaldi. As the league takes a break to allow the National teams a turn we do the same as we look into the not-so-distant but oh-so-glorious past. We also take a break from the romance of the fixture itself to bring you Giancarlo's personal memories of.

Ac Milan hit double success this weekend on Serie A as not only they managed to take revenge over their old rival Juventus, but they also keep their pace in the top of the table and leaving Inter Milan in second place by eight points before the Nerazzurri played on Sunday.

In a rather tough and tight game, the Rossoneri have their captain Rino Gattuso as an unlikely hero after his goal in the second half was more than enough to seal the victory for the Red and Black squad in Turin.

First, I'd like to apologize for the Italy Offside being at a standstill for the past two weeks, I've just been a little busy lately and didn't get around to posting. But the busyness has subsided and the Italy Offside is back in full force. (Sorry to all those that were happy thinking that I finally left.

Cagliari vs Juventus Sant'Elia- February 5, 2011 Final score:- Cagliari vs Juventus 1-3 ( Roberto Acquafresca/ Alessandro Matri*2, Luca Toni) Juventus ease the pressure off under fire coach Luigi DelNeri with a 3-1 win over Cagliari away from home. Alessandro Matri, on loan at Juventus from Cagliari, scored two of the three goals.

ROME, Italy — Alessandro Matri returned to haunt his former club Cagliari on Saturday when he scored twice in Juventus's 3-1 win. The victory ended a run of three straight defeats and eased the pressure on Juve coach Luigi Delneri. Matri's goals sandwiched a strike from Cagliari's Robert Acquafresca before Luca Toni scored a late [.

Juventus' ex-Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni on Thursday revealed how coach Louis van Gaal once proved he had 'the balls' to drop any of Bayern's stars - by dropping his trousers.
Having joined Bayern from Fiorentina in 2007, Toni, 33, was Bayern's top scorer in his first season when he scored 24 goals in 31 league games as Bayern won the Bundesliga title.

Der Trainer wollte uns klarmachen, dass er jeden Spieler auswechseln kann – egal, wie er heisst, weil er Eier hat. Um das zu demonstrieren, liess er die Hosen runter. So etwas habe ich noch nie erlebt, das war total verrückt. Ich habe aber nicht viel gesehen, da ich nicht in der ersten Reihe sass

Luca Toni, Ex-Stürmer des FC Bayern München, erzählt eine Geschichte aus seiner Zeit beim FC Bayern München und mit Ex-Trainer Louis van Gaal.

Der Trainer wollte uns klarmachen, dass er jeden Spieler auswechseln kann – egal, wie er heisst, weil er Eier hat. Um das zu demonstrieren, liess er die Hosen runter. So etwas habe ich noch nie erlebt, das war total verrückt. Ich habe aber nicht viel gesehen, da ich nicht in der ersten Reihe sass

Luca Toni, Ex-Stürmer des FC Bayern München, erzählt eine Geschichte aus seiner Zeit beim FC Bayern München und mit Ex-Trainer Louis van Gaal.

Or doffed, anyway.

Luca Toni v Louis van Gaal is a notch below the highly emotional, somebody-might-need-a-lawyer-shortly battle that is Zlatan v Pep as far as ex-striker v coaches go, but it's nonetheless juicy. Well, only if you like saggy old man onions, perhaps.

And that is the look of a man clearly pleased with what's happening in his pants.