David de Gea's inability to agree terms with Manchester United over a new contract made his exit in the summer of 2023 inevitable. But he hadn't wanted to leave Old Trafford at all. Manchester was his home as far as he was concerned. So, he stayed, continuing to train in the city while awaiting offers from elsewhere.

De Gea may have been sometimes criticised for not being the greatest goalkeeper in the world with the ball at his feet but he was widely regarded as one of the game's elite shot-stoppers. It came as quite the shock, then, to see him sit out the entire 2024-25 season. There was talk of a summer switch to Saudi Arabia or the United States but, as the new season approached, there were legitimate doubts over whether De Gea would play football again.

However, on August 9, after more than a year out of the game, De Gea ended what he insisted was a self-imposed exile by signing for Fiorentina. "I received many offers," he revealed, "but I wanted to play in Italy. The negotiation was simple. Fiorentina were the best option."

And so it's proven, with De Gea playing a pivotal part in a footballing renaissance in Florence that has had his new club's social media proclaiming, "There's a new David in town!"

The post-Italiano uncertainty

The top of the Serie A standings makes for wonderful reading right now. There are just four points separating the top six and the presence of Fiorentina in fourth place, just one point behind leaders Napoli, stands out by a mile.

Why? Because nobody thought before the current campaign began that the Viola would have a decent shot at qualifying for the next-season's Champions League - let alone battling it out for top spot after 13 rounds of action.

During the heyday of Gabriel Batistuta and Rui Costa, Fiorentina were known as one of the seven sisters of Serie A, one of the league's strongest sides, but their title drought still stretches all the way back to 1969.

Furthermore, while their profile has been boosted in recent years by reaching back-to-back Conference League finals, they lost the coach responsible for both runs, with Vincenzo Italiano stepping down in the summer to take charge of Bologna, leaving Fiorentina's future shrouded in uncertainty.

And yet things couldn't be going much better for Italiano's replacement, Raffaele Palladino, right now...

Palladino the prodigy

Palladino was first thrust into the Serie A spotlight at Monza, where he was plucked from the Primavera (Under-19s) by Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani and made head coach of the first team in September 2022 despite having no previous top-flight experience.

Rather remarkably, it proved a masterstroke. Palladino led Monza to their first-ever Serie A win in his first game in charge, against Juventus, and helped the newly-promoted side to safety with six games to spare.

Berlusconi was incredibly impressed by the novice's tactical acumen and man-management skills (though that didn't stop the notorious womaniser from trying to further motivate the players by promising them a "bus full of whores" if they continued their giant-killing exploits), while legendary coach Fabio Capello couldn't believe how well Palladino coped with the jump from youth sector to the senior squad.

"I thought it was a temporary choice," the European Cup winner told the Gazzetta dello Sport. "When you move from the Primavera to the first team, most of the time it's just to respond to an emergency.

"However, Berlusconi and Galliani understood Palladino's qualities before everyone else. He has shown a great ability in the technical and tactical management of the team, and the group followed him, and trusted him."

There's already ample evidence to suggest that the 40-year-old has secured the same level of support in Florence.

Influenced by Pep but moulded by Gasperini

Palladino freely admits that he has been greatly influenced by Pep Guardiola's footballing philosophy, explaining that he embraces the basic principles of the Catalan's game.

"The search for control, building from the back, attacking with many players, being technically strong, and having intelligent players - I would say that my teams have this in common with his," he said, "but he does it at a very high level!"

However, Palladino's mentor is Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini, whom he played under at Genoa, and the former midfielder is the first to admit that he has "taken a lot" from his "teacher", including "the ability of my team to be able to attack the opponent very high up. The heart of our game is based on occupying space.

"It is not easy to explain it, nor to teach it on the pitch. But when the players understand, you see the results."

The Fiorentina squad certainly seem to have grasped what Palladino is demanding of them - and in a very short space of time, too.

Fiorentina on fire

After picking up just three points from their first four games of the season, Fiorentina have dropped just two since the middle of September - a run of form that has seen them win their last seven matches in Serie A going into Sunday's meeting with reigning champions Inter at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

"How beautiful this Fiorentina are!" Viola legend Luca Toni enthused on Radio Serie A earlier this week. "They’re doing something extraordinary."

Their success is unquestionably rooted in Palladino's tactical fluidity - Fiorentina often change their approach and formation to suit specific opponents - and the fantastic team spirit so quickly cultivated by the coach, who is adamant that he "loves" every member of his squad and thus treats them all as equals, meaning no differentiation between 'starters' and 'reserves'.

Consequently, several players are shining this season, including several new arrivals, including Robin Gosens, Edoardo Bove and Yavine Adli - three inspired loan signings from Union Berlin, Roma and AC Milan, respectively, that are testament to the fine work done by sporting director Daniele Prade in the transfer market.

Palladino's promotion of Pietro Comuzzo to the senior squad has also proven a masterstroke, as the teenager received his first Italy call-up earlier this month and is thus viewed as a sign of things to come, giving Fiorentina have invested heavily in their youth sector in recent years.

However, two players have undoubtedly played a more prominent role than everyone else.

Kean belatedly realising potential

Moise Kean was immediately touted as the answer to Italy's prayers for an international-class striker when he burst onto the scene at Juventus as a teenager - so it's a sign of just how far his stock had fallen that when Fiorentina spent €13 million (£11m/$14m) for his services during the summer, plenty of pundits thought that the Viola had overpaid.

Now, though, Kean is looking like one of the signings of the season, having hit 12 goals in his first 15 games in all competitions.

4 - Moise #Kean has scored in 4 consecutive games in the Big-5 European leagues for the second time in his career (the first between March and April 2019 for Juventus). Raptor.#ComoFiorentina #SerieA pic.twitter.com/5iEbjeGXK2

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) November 24, 2024

"Moise has found a club that knows how to love him, that takes care of him, and a coach who values him," Toni told Radio Serie A.

Palladino's influence has definitely been key to the Everton flop kickstarting a career that has been previously plagued by accusations of a lack of professionalism. He's long been a fan of Kean and had wanted the 24-year-old Italy international at Monza.

"I always saw him as a great striker who has it all," Palladino explained. "He just needs to continue like this and stay in good shape physically. The rest is just the fruits of his daily work in training and the help from his team."

'You just need to put me in goal'

If the Kean deal was queried, signing De Gea on a free was considered quite the coup for Fiorentina - and yet there were undeniable doubts over the Spaniard's physical and mental state after such a significant spell on the sidelines. De Gea himself had admitted that he had been so deeply disappointed by his United exit that it was "difficult to find motivation to evaluate offers", which resulted in him taking a sabbatical from the game.

He continued to train, though, and when he was presented to the press as a Fiorentina player in August, he said that while it might take him a few games to get back to his very best, "I've been playing for many years, so you just need to put me in goal."

Palladino was initially reluctant, starting the season with Pietro Terracciano in between the sticks.

However, after almost single-handedly keeping Fiorentina in the Conference League with his penalty-saving heroics against Puskas (a strange sentence for United fans to read), De Gea finally got his chance to start in September - and has been excellent ever since.

Since making his debut for Fiorentina, no goalkeeper in Serie A has kept more clean sheets than David de Gea (5) 🧱 pic.twitter.com/c5jCCrnq2I

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 24, 2024

The former Spain international has kept five clean sheets in 10 league outings, including four in his last six, and made a string of sensational saves to keep his team's winning run going.

In fact, he was arguably responsible for starting it, by saving two spot-kicks in the 2-1 win over AC Milan - the first of Fiorentina's seven consecutive victories.

As a result, nobody is in the least bit surprised by a report in the Corriere dello Sport that Fiorentina have already decided to activate a clause in De Gea's deal that will double his wage and extend his contract for another year.

There really is another David in town and it doesn't look like he's going anywhere for a good while yet - not with a most unexpected renaissance in full swing in Florence.