The midfielder had been one of several players who were frozen out of the Biancocelesti squad this summer, but failed to secure a transfer, so he took the club to court.

The 31-year-old won his case to terminate the contract, although the terms and unpaid wages are still a matter of contention, and will put pen to paper with Bologna when the transfer window opens on January 7.

“It was such a sense of liberation, my nightmare is finally over and I truly felt reborn,” Mutarelli told the Corriere dello Sport.

“The first thing I thought was that I was going back to work. This was the worst time of my professional life, yet I received a gift with the birth of my son Matteo, who is now five months old.”

He has agreed a contract with the Rossoblu until June 2011, but has already been in training with his new colleagues for several weeks.

“It is difficult to explain how I feel. I am a new man. I must thank Bologna, who gave me hospitality a month ago when there was still nothing definitive in my situation.

“They believed in me and made me feel like a player again. That is what I was missing, this time on the field, in training and the unity with teammates. Bologna gave me those elements and I am grateful to this club.”

Bologna are strengthening their squad during the transfer window and there are strong reports that other arrivals include Reggina hitman Bernardo Corradi and Inter benchwarmer Nelson Rivas.