Updated: 25 Jul 2026 10:25 BST |
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Chelsea are set to sign Aston Villa’s set-piece guru Austin MacPhee, according to Birmingham Live reporter John Townley.
Townley understands MacPhee, 46, has said his goodbyes to Villa players and staff ahead of joining Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea.
The move will see MacPhee reunite with Morgan Rogers after the England star left Villa for Chelsea in a club-record €138million (£117m) deal.
Rogers and MacPhee played a key role in Villa winning the UEFA Europa League last season – the club’s first European silverware since 1982.
The pair also had a huge hand in Unai Emery’s side qualifying for this season’s UEFA Champions League by finishing fourth in the Premier League last term.
MacPhee helped Villa score 18 league goals from set-pieces last season – the third-most in the division, and five more than Chelsea (13).
One of those goals came in the 4-2 win over Liverpool in May, with Rogers finding the back of the net following a short-corner routine.
The 23-year-old ran to the touchline and embraced MacPhee after his stunning strike found the far corner at Villa Park.
A goal straight off the training ground 👊@AVFCOfficial set-piece coach, Austin MacPhee, LOVED Morgan Rogers’ opener against Liverpool! pic.twitter.com/yH88OjA0G5
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 15, 2026
MacPhee has been widely praised for his set-pieces
Scotland-born MacPhee was also in charge of set-plays for Portugal’s World Cup campaign under then-manager Roberto Martinez.
Martinez praised MacPhee’s meticulous attention to detail after Portugal’s 5-0 group-stage win over Uzbekistan in June.
In quotes carried by The Athletic, he said of MacPhee: “The players are obsessed about improving, and set pieces are an obsession for Austin.
“He’s great in set routines, set pieces. It’s important to acknowledge all the work he has carried out. It can actually be boring to practice, to focus, but he’s amazing. Both set-piece goals we scored were executed perfectly.”
Martinez left his role as Portugal manager following the last-16 loss to eventual champions Spain in July. Jorge Jesus has since been named as his successor.
Chelsea on the cusp of signing Lacroix from Palace
Chelsea are poised to follow up the signing of MacPhee with the capture of defender Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace.
BBC Sport reported on Friday that the France centre-back is set to join the Blues after agreeing a €60m (£52m) fee with Crystal Palace.
The same publication understands Lacroix will put pen to paper on a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge, reportedly lasting until 2032.
Should Lacroix’s move go through as expected, he will become Alonso’s third signing as Chelsea manager after Rogers and Marco Palestra, who arrived from Atalanta on 1 July.
Geovany Quenda, Denner, Dastan Satpaev and Emmanuel Emegha have also joined the west London club on pre-arranged deals that were negotiated before Alonso’s appointment.
Alonso was named Chelsea manager on a four-year contract in May, with the Spaniard officially taking charge on 1 July.
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