Many of these acquisitions were announced before the end of the previous seasons: signings of defenders Carlos Labrín and Milan Milanović,[5][6] as well as striker Pablo González, were made public already in January 2011.

[13] On 28 July, Palermo and Paris Saint-Germain completed the move of first-choice goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu from Sicily to France;[14][15] the same day, the rosanero made their seasonal debut, playing at home the first leg of the UEFA Europa League third preliminary round against Swiss side Thun: the game ended in a disappointing 2–2 draw thanks to an injury time free kick equalizer from veteran striker Fabrizio Miccoli.

[25] Later on that day, Palermo announced to have surprisingly sacked Stefano Pioli, appointing newly hired youth team coach Devis Mangia on a temporary basis.

[26] His first game in charge of team duties, played on 11 September against European powerhouse Inter, ended in an astonishing 4–3 win for the rosanero thanks to a brace from captain Fabrizio Miccoli.

Sogliano's resignation led to rumours regarding a possible future removal of Devis Mangia as caretaker, which was promptly dismissed two days later, when Palermo announced to have agreed a two-year contract as permanent head coach with the young tactician.

In the December break, Palermo formalized the signings of attacking midfielder Franco Vázquez and striker Agon Mehmeti, who both made their debut in the first game of the year 2012, a 1–3 home loss to Napoli.

On 1 February, Palermo achieved a surprise 4–4 draw at San Siro against Inter, three of the goals being scored by Fabrizio Miccoli, that made him the most prolific goalscorer in the whole club history.

Palermo's first away win of the season finally came on 1 April, as the rosanero achieved a 3–1 victory at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara against former coach Pioli's Bologna, thus ending an 11-month winless streak.