Ghana captain Stephen Appiah has joined newly-promoted Italian Serie A side Cesena from rivals Bologna.

The 28-year-old signed a one-year deal on Friday night with the option of another year if the club stays in the top flight.

He moves on a free transfer after being declared a free agent by the Court for the Arbitration of Sport (CAS) in the wake of his disagreement with his former club Fenerbahce

‘I am happy with the agreement with Cesena because they showed how much they wanted me to join them when we started negotiating,” Appiah said.

“It is a new start for me although it is still in Italy. They have a project which I am happy to be part of.

“I have met the management of Cesena and have assured them I will give it 100% as I usually do. They can definitely count on a fit Stephen Appiah without a doubt.”

Appiah, who played for the Black Stars at the World Cup in June, left rivals Bologna last month after just six months because of terms of a new contract.

But his six-month stint with Bologna after a long injury lay-off paved the way for him to be included in Ghana’s World Cup team in South Africa.

Despite failing to extend his contract with Bologna, Appiah is grateful to the club for giving him the opportunity to revive his career

“I will like to say a big thank you to the management, players and supporters of Bologna for giving me a chance to get back into football after my long absence,” Appiah said.

“It wasn’t easy but they gave me a chance and although I didn’t feature much for them, they allowed me to get back into the swing of things.”

The vastly-experienced midfielder left Fenerbahce under acrimonious circumstances in the wake of knee surgery but he is grateful to their fans for their support.

Cesena is the sixth Italian club Appiah has signed for, having played Udinese, Parma, Brescia, Juventus and Bologna.

The only club outside Italy the Black Stars captain has played for is Turkish giants Fenerbahce and Hearts of Oak in Ghana.

He fell out with Fenerbahce after a botched knee surgery and the Turkish giants reported him to Fifa for abandoning his contract.

The world governing body ruled in favour of Fenerbahce last year but CAS overturned the decision two months ago which allowed the midfielder to move to Cesena as a free agent.