Chelsea are set to appoint Austin MacPhee, Aston Villa’s set-piece coach, according to Birmingham Live reporter John Townley. MacPhee, 46, has reportedly said his goodbyes to players and staff at Villa Park ahead of a move to Stamford Bridge to join Xabi Alonso’s coaching setup.
The appointment reunites MacPhee with Morgan Rogers, who recently completed a club-record €138million (£117m) transfer from Villa to Chelsea. Both MacPhee and Rogers were instrumental in Villa’s success last season, contributing to their UEFA Europa League triumph – the club’s first European silverware since 1982 – and their qualification for the UEFA Champions League.
MacPhee’s expertise lies in set-piece routines, helping Villa score 18 league goals from set-pieces last season, the third-highest total in the Premier League and five more than Chelsea managed. A notable example of his work came in Villa’s 4-2 victory over Liverpool in May, where Rogers scored following a well-executed short-corner routine, immediately celebrating with MacPhee on the touchline.
Prior to joining Aston Villa, the Scotland-born MacPhee served as the set-piece coach for the Portugal national team during their World Cup campaign under Roberto Martinez. Martinez publicly praised MacPhee’s meticulous approach and dedication to improving set-piece execution, describing him as “amazing” and highlighting the players’ “obsession” with his training methods. Martinez has since left his role as Portugal manager.
Chelsea are also nearing the completion of a deal for defender Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace, with BBC Sport reporting a €60m (£52m) fee agreed. Lacroix is expected to sign a long-term contract until 2032. These moves represent Alonso’s early efforts to reshape the Chelsea squad, following his appointment as manager in May, and will see him add to the arrivals of Rogers and Marco Palestra. Geovany Quenda, Denner, Dastan Satpaev and Emmanuel Emegha have also joined the club on pre-arranged transfers.
With these additions, Alonso aims to build a competitive Chelsea side capable of challenging for top honours in both domestic and European competitions.
