Soccer
Super Eagles-eligible defender Peter Amoran Toluwanimi is expected to leave Serie B club Cesena at the end of June and return to his parent club Parma after a difficult loan spell in the 2025-26 season, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 22-year-old centre-back joined Cesena on loan from Serie A side Parma Calcio 1913 for the campaign, but he struggled to establish himself as a regular starter as the club battled for a place in the promotion play-offs.
Toluwanimi’s loan agreement officially runs until June 30, 2026. The deal includes an option for Cesena to make the transfer permanent, while Parma retain a counter-option that would allow them to bring him back even if the Serie B club decide to buy him.
With no indication that Cesena are preparing to activate the purchase clause, the Nigerian-born defender is expected to return to Parma, where he remains under contract until June 2027.
His time at Cesena was largely spent on the fringes of the first team. Across a 38-match Serie B season, Toluwanimi made only seven league appearances, starting twice and coming off the bench on five occasions.
The defender accumulated 263 minutes of football, failed to register a goal or assist, and collected two yellow cards. His average performance rating stood at 5.9.
Toluwanimi’s final appearances of the season showed his reduced role within the squad. He played the full 90 minutes in a 3-2 home defeat to Spezia on February 21 before making substitute appearances against Frosinone and Mantova in March. After that, he spent much of the campaign’s closing weeks on the bench or outside the matchday squad.
Soccer Toluwanimi still remains a Super Eagles option
Although Toluwanimi has represented Sweden at youth level, he remains eligible to play for Nigeria at senior international level.
Born in Abuja on May 22, 2004, the defender moved to Sweden during his childhood and developed his football career there. He began his youth journey with IFK Östersund before continuing his development at GIF Sundsvall.
His breakthrough came with Östersunds FK, where his performances in Sweden’s second division attracted interest from Parma.
Internationally, Amoran has represented Sweden’s U18, U19, U20 and U21 teams. However, because he has not played a competitive senior match for Sweden, he still has the option of switching allegiance to Nigeria in the future.
Soccer Ashley Cole also heading for Cesena exit
Amoran’s departure could coincide with that of former Chelsea, Arsenal and England star Ashley Cole, whose short managerial spell at Cesena appears to be coming to an end.
Cole arrived at the club in mid-March after Cesena dismissed Michele Mignani while the team were still pushing for a Serie B play-off position. The appointment is Cole’s first full-time role as a senior head coach.
The former left-back’s arrival generated controversy from the start. Reports in Italy suggested that sections of the fanbase, some players and even members of the club hierarchy were unhappy with the decision to remove Mignani midway through the season.
Mignani had overseen a difficult run of eight defeats in his final 13 matches, but Cesena remained in the play-off places when he was dismissed.
Cole’s time in charge failed to improve results. Across eight league matches, he managed just one victory, alongside three draws and four defeats.
Cesena eventually finished 11th in the Serie B standings, falling short of the promotion play-off positions they had targeted earlier in the campaign.
Recent reports from Italy indicate that discussions over a possible contract extension have cooled considerably. With Cole’s current deal expiring on June 30, the former England international is now widely expected to leave the club before preparations begin for the 2026-27 season.
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