Chelsea Targets Set-Piece Coach Austin MacPhee Amid Competition
Chelsea have opened talks to bring Aston Villa’s acclaimed set-piece coach Austin MacPhee to Stamford Bridge, targeting one of the most influential behind-the-scenes figures in the Premier League.
They are not alone.
Rival top-flight clubs and sides from the Saudi Pro League are also in the hunt, turning the pursuit of the 46-year-old Scot into one of the more intriguing backroom battles of the summer.
The architect behind Villa’s dead-ball dominance
MacPhee’s reputation is built on numbers that are hard to ignore. During the 2023-24 campaign, Aston Villa scored more goals from set-pieces than any other team across Europe’s top five leagues. Not just England. Europe.
The following season, Villa stayed near the summit of those rankings and finished joint-top with Arsenal for set-piece goals in the Premier League. In an era where marginal gains often decide Champions League places and trophies, his work became a clear competitive edge.
That edge translated into silverware and status. Under Unai Emery, with MacPhee running the dead-ball department, Villa lifted the Europa Conference League and punched their ticket to the Champions League. Corners and free-kicks were not an add-on; they were a weapon.
A coach in demand
MacPhee’s contract at Villa Park contains a release clause, so any move would require compensation. That detail matters, because it underlines how highly Villa value him. You do not insert a clause like that for a mere assistant.
For the past five years, MacPhee has balanced his club duties with an international role, serving as set-piece coach for the Portugal national team under Roberto Martinez, who stepped down after the World Cup. Juggling those responsibilities has only strengthened his profile as a specialist trusted at the very top level.
He is now poised to be part of a broader exodus of staff from Villa Park this summer, with the club reshaping around Emery’s evolving project after their European breakthrough.
Alonso’s Chelsea rebuild
At Chelsea, Xabi Alonso has room to reshape his own inner circle. The club invested around £750,000 to bring Bernardo Cueva from Brentford in 2024, but Cueva is moving away from a touchline role into a more analytical, behind-the-scenes position.
That leaves a clear vacancy: someone to own the set-piece brief on the grass, day in, day out.
Alonso, a manager steeped in the details of elite midfield play, understands how much set-pieces can tilt tight matches. For a Chelsea side still searching for consistency in both boxes, the attraction of a coach whose work has directly translated into goals and trophies is obvious.
The question now is simple: in a market where clubs are finally treating specialist coaches like star players, can Chelsea win the race for one of the game’s most valuable unseen operators?
