Chelsea Pursue Set-Piece Specialist Austin MacPhee

Chelsea are pushing to hire Aston Villa’s highly rated set-piece specialist Austin MacPhee – but they are not alone in the chase, with rival Premier League clubs and Saudi Pro League sides also circling.

The 46-year-old Scot has emerged as one of the most influential backroom figures in the English game. Villa would be due compensation if he leaves, with his contract understood to contain a defined release clause, and that has turned a quiet piece of staff business into a full-on tug of war.

Chelsea’s search for an edge

Xabi Alonso, newly installed at Stamford Bridge, has room to reshape his staff. The previous set-piece coach, Bernardo Cueva – recruited from Brentford in 2024 for £750,000 – is stepping away from the touchline into a more analytical, behind-the-scenes role. That shift opens a clear lane for a new specialist to take control of one of the most decisive areas in elite football.

Set plays have become a battleground for marginal gains. Chelsea, looking to accelerate their rebuild under Alonso, see MacPhee as a coach who can deliver immediate, measurable returns. Corners, wide free-kicks, rehearsed routines: these are the details that can turn tight games and, over a season, redefine a league position.

The MacPhee effect at Villa

MacPhee’s impact at Villa Park has been stark. During the 2023-24 campaign, Aston Villa scored more goals from set-pieces than any other side across Europe’s top five leagues. The following season they stayed among the continent’s elite from dead-ball situations and finished joint-top with Arsenal for set-piece goals in the Premier League.

Those numbers are not a quirk. They are the product of a clear plan, obsessive detail and hours of work on the training ground. Under Unai Emery, Villa have used that platform to power their rise: a Europa Conference League title in the trophy cabinet and Champions League qualification secured.

MacPhee has been a constant presence through that climb, operating not just as a club specialist but also on the international stage.

Dual roles, growing reputation

For the past five years, MacPhee has combined his Villa duties with a similar role for the Portugal national team, working under Roberto Martinez. Martinez has since resigned following the World Cup, but that spell with a major footballing nation has only sharpened MacPhee’s profile.

His reputation now stretches far beyond the Midlands. Clubs at the top end of the Premier League and ambitious projects in Saudi Arabia see the same thing Chelsea do: a coach who can add goals without a transfer fee, reshape a team’s threat from dead balls and bring structure to moments that often look chaotic from the outside.

Villa braced for more change

If MacPhee moves on, he will be one of several staff members to depart Villa Park this summer. After a period of rapid growth under Emery – European silverware, Champions League football, a clear identity – the club is now dealing with the natural consequence of success: their best people, on and off the pitch, are in demand.

Villa will fight to keep their competitive edge. Chelsea, and others, are trying to buy it.

For Alonso, who built his coaching reputation on control, structure and detail, securing one of the most sought-after set-piece minds in the game would be a statement. For Villa, losing MacPhee would pose a blunt question: can they keep turning dead balls into a living, breathing weapon without the architect who designed it all?