Chelsea are reportedly set to acquire set-piece specialist Austin MacPhee, and he will join Xabi Alonso’s managerial staff ahead of the 2026–27 season.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea triggered McPhee’s release clause included in his Aston Villa contract to acquire his services. Other Premier League clubs were also interested in poaching the 46-year-old expert.
McPhee will leave Aston Villa after spending five seasons at the club and will take over from Bernardo Cueva as Chelsea’s set-piece coach. Cueva will still be part of Alonso‘s new staff, but he’ll move to a behind-the-scenes role.
The acquisition of a set-piece coach stealing headlines speaks to the direction soccer is headed. There is an emphasis on dead-ball situations that is growing across soccer’s major leagues, with even the prioritization of set pieces over fluid open-play attack system as the way to find the back of the net.
Previously, even knowing the name of a team’s set-piece coach might’ve been too much to ask. Now, many of these specialists play a significant role in a club’s success on the pitch. And Chelsea might’ve just landed one of the best in the business.
Why Chelsea Invested in Set-Piece Specialist Austin MacPhee
MacPhee turned Aston Villa into one of the most dangerous set-piece teams in all Europe, with a wide array of innovative, creative and lethal dead-ball schemes that added a prolific dimension to Unai Emery’s attack.
Goals from set pieces have become synonymous with Arsenal, and Nico Joever’s work as the Gunners set-piece coach was an integral part of their 2025–26 Premier League title. However, following MacPhee’s guidance, Villa scored 29 set-piece goals a season ago, the joint-most of any team across Europe’s top-five leagues alongside Arsenal. Meanwhile, Chelsea managed 21.
MacPhee’s undeniably-successful track record even led Portugal to hire him last February. The set-piece specialist was part of Roberto Martínez’s staff during the 2026 World Cup in which it constantly displayed unique plays from set pieces, including Cristiano Ronaldo—incredibly—being used as a decoy in a free kick that Nuno Mendes buried against Uzbekistan.
There’s no question that in a sport and a league where scoring through set pieces has become of paramount importance, Chelsea are adding one of the most coveted masterminds in the world to strengthen that specific department.
Chelsea, Aston Villa Continue Doing Business Together
MacPhee joining the Blues would represent the third separate piece of business between Chelsea and Aston Villa during the summer transfer window, with more potentially coming in the near future.
Earlier this month, Chelsea made attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers the most expensive British player in history with a club-record signing worth $157.3 million (£117 million) to sign the England international from Villa.
Less than a week later, Villa acquired winger Alejandro Garnacho from Chelsea. After a disappointing debut season with the Blues, Villa landed the Argentine on loan with an obligation to buy if certain conditions are met.
MacPhee would become the third name to switch allegiances between the pair of clubs, and there might be more deals coming down the pipeline, with Villa reportedly interested in center forward Nicolas Jackson.
