Chelsea may have hit the jackpot. The West London club are in talks with set-piece coach Austin MacPhee for joining them by the next season.
MacPhee to join the Blues after Villa success?
MacPhee is expected to join Chelsea next year, as reported by BBC. The team management, especially head coach Xabi Alonso, are impressed by his skills, and want him at **Chelsea**as soon as possible.
MacPhee also joined the Portugal team as their assistant coach in February 2025. He was part of the Portuguese squad that made it to the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Portugal lost to eventual champions Spain 1-0 in the pre-quarterfinal stage.
Austin MacPhee joined Aston Villa as the set piece coach in 2021. Previously, he worked for Midtjylland as a specialist set piece coach.
MacPhee’s overall contribution as set-piece coach
Before making it big as the set piece coach for the Villans, MacPhee experienced a wild ride as a coach. The Scotsman started as a youth player with Forfar Athletic, but couldn’t make it big as a player. MacPhee played for the Romanian club Dacia Unirea Braila between 2002 and 2003, before ending his career as a football player.
In 2008, MacPhee decided to reinvent himself as a manager. His first major assignment came up when he was appointed the assistant coach of Cowdenbeath. In 2010, he joined St. Mirren as the assistant coach. However, it was in 2014, that the world took notice of his set piece skills, when he joined Northern Ireland as the set piece coach. He led the team to a historic Round of 16 appearance at the Euro 2016. Then, he joined Heart of Midlothian as the assistant coach in 2016. Subsequently, he joined Scotland team as an assistant coach in 2021.
MacPhee recently helped Aston Villa achieve a respectable fourth place finish in the 2025-26 Premier League. He also played an important role in the historic win at the UEFA Europa League. This was the Villans’ first major trophy since 1996. They had last won the 1996 League Cup.
Chelsea news - Austin MacPhee
Chelsea news - Austin MacPhee
Will MacPhee be a good fit at Chelsea?
It won’t be an easy ride for MacPhee at Chelsea. However, if he agrees to join the West London club, he can help the management in bringing back the team to winning ways. The West London club have seen three managers come and leave the club within the first five months of 2026. However, with Alonso, the Blues are hopeful of a positive change.
It’s been almost a decade since Chelsea last won the Premier League. They last won the League title in the 2016-17 edition. However, they won the UEFA Champions League in 2021. Apart from that, they also won the FIFA Club World Cup twice : in 2021 and 2025. All the Blues need is just some fine tuning, and MacPhee will certainly help in that.
But if they want to restore their legacy as the European football powerhouse, it will take a combined team effort to do so. If MacPhee joins the Blues by next year, he can help the team overcome the inconsistencies that prevented them from achieving glory at the Premier League last year.
MacPhee has proved his mettle on multiple occasions. His performance with Aston Villa is the main reason why Chelsea management want him for the next season. They know they won’t get another golden opportunity like this again.
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