Chelsea Targets Set-Piece Specialist Austin MacPhee from Aston Villa
Chelsea have opened talks to prise set-piece specialist Austin MacPhee away from Aston Villa, targeting one of the most influential backroom figures in the Premier League’s recent tactical shift towards dead-ball dominance.
They are not alone. Other top-flight clubs in England and sides from the Saudi Pro League are also in the chase, turning the pursuit of a coach into something that looks and feels like a transfer battle for a key first-team player.
The architect behind Villa’s dead-ball edge
MacPhee, 46, has quietly become one of the most coveted operators in the game. While the spotlight has shone on Unai Emery and Villa’s resurgence, the numbers from set-pieces tell their own story.
In the 2023-24 season, Villa scored more goals from set-plays than any other side across Europe’s top five leagues. Corners, free-kicks, rehearsed routines from throw-ins – they all fed into a ruthless edge that turned tight matches their way.
The impact didn’t fade. A year later, Villa again sat among the top five in Europe for set-piece goals and finished joint-top with Arsenal in the Premier League for dead-ball returns last season. In a league where fine margins decide Champions League places, MacPhee’s work has been worth points, not just praise.
That body of work, built over years on the training ground rather than in front of cameras, is exactly what has drawn Chelsea to the table.
A dual role and a growing reputation
MacPhee’s rise has not been confined to club football. For the past five years he has combined his Villa Park duties with a similar role for the Portugal national team, working under Roberto Martinez. Martinez has since stepped down after the World Cup, but MacPhee’s reputation within the international game has already been cemented.
His methods are detailed, specific and relentless. Opposition weaknesses are mapped, routines tailored, roles drilled. The result: defenders who dread conceding corners against his teams, and forwards who know that every delivery is a chance.
Any club hiring him is not just appointing a specialist. They are buying into a philosophy that treats every dead ball as a structured opportunity rather than a hopeful swing into the box.
Villa braced for change
If Chelsea or another suitor trigger his release clause, Villa will be entitled to compensation. The club is already braced for a summer of change behind the scenes.
MacPhee would be one of several staff members leaving after a period that has transformed the club’s trajectory. Under Emery, Villa have lifted the Europa Conference League and punched their ticket to the Champions League, achievements underpinned in no small part by the ruthless efficiency of their set-pieces.
Losing the coach who orchestrated that department would mark a significant shift. Replacing that level of detail and continuity on the training ground is never straightforward, even for a club operating at Villa’s current level.
Alonso’s Chelsea seek an extra edge
At Stamford Bridge, the move is clear: Xabi Alonso wants every possible advantage as he reshapes Chelsea in his own image.
There is a vacancy of sorts. Bernardo Cueva, the set-piece coach brought in from Brentford for £750,000 in 2024, is stepping away from a touchline role and into a more background, analytical position. That change opens space in Alonso’s immediate backroom staff for a specialist who can work directly with players on the grass.
Chelsea’s hierarchy know what the numbers say. In an era when elite clubs squeeze value out of every phase of play, set-pieces are no longer a niche concern. They are a weapon. Bringing in the coach whose routines powered Villa to the top of Europe’s set-piece charts would be a statement that Chelsea intend to exploit that weapon to the full.
The question now is simple: in a market where clubs fight as hard for elite staff as they do for star players, who moves fastest to land Austin MacPhee – and how much will his next employer’s season be defined by what happens when the ball stops moving?
