Chelsea Targets Aston Villa's Set-Piece Specialist Austin MacPhee
Chelsea have opened talks to bring Aston Villa’s set-piece mastermind Austin MacPhee to Stamford Bridge, but they are far from alone in the chase for one of the most coveted specialists in the modern game.
Premier League rivals and clubs from the Saudi Pro League are also circling, aware that MacPhee’s work has quietly reshaped one of the most decisive phases of football: dead balls.
Chelsea target a proven edge
At 46, the Scottish coach has built a reputation as one of Europe’s sharpest set-piece thinkers. His contract at Villa Park includes a release clause, so any move will trigger compensation to Villa, who have seen his influence stamped all over their recent rise.
The numbers are stark. During the 2023-24 season, Villa scored more goals from set-pieces than any other team across Europe’s top five leagues. The following campaign they stayed among the continent’s elite in that department and finished joint-top with Arsenal for set-piece goals in the Premier League last season.
Those routines did not just pad out a stat sheet. They underpinned a surge that took Unai Emery’s side to Europa Conference League glory and into the Champions League. Corners and free-kicks became weapons, not afterthoughts.
No surprise, then, that losing MacPhee would mark another significant departure from a backroom team that has driven Villa’s resurgence.
Dual roles and a changing Villa
MacPhee has juggled his Villa duties with a similar role at international level for the Portugal national team over the past five years, working under Roberto Martinez. That long-running arrangement survived a World Cup cycle and Martinez’s resignation, a measure of how highly his work is regarded.
Now, with Villa preparing for Champions League football and already braced for staff turnover, the prospect of their set-piece coach moving on adds another layer of complexity to Emery’s summer.
Alonso’s backroom rebuild
For Chelsea, the timing is deliberate. New manager Xabi Alonso has space in his staff after set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva, recruited from Brentford in 2024 for £750,000, stepped away from a touchline role to move into a more behind-the-scenes position.
Alonso wants sharp edges across the pitch. Chelsea’s hierarchy, having invested heavily in the squad, know marginal gains can decide seasons. A proven specialist who has repeatedly turned dead-ball situations into a steady stream of goals fits that brief perfectly.
The club’s recent business with Villa only adds intrigue. Chelsea have just signed Morgan Rogers from Villa for £117m, with Alejandro Garnacho heading the other way on an initial loan that is expected to become permanent via an option to buy. Now they are back at Villa’s door, this time for a member of Emery’s inner circle rather than a player.
The question is simple and brutal: in an era where set-pieces can be the difference between mid-table and Europe, who blinks first in the race for Austin MacPhee?
