Chelsea in talks to sign Aston Villa set-piece coach Austin MacPhee
Chelsea are in negotiations to hire highly regarded set-piece coach Austin MacPhee from Aston Villa, but face competition from other Premier League clubs and Saudi Pro League teams. The 46-year-old Scottish coach, who also worked with Portugal's national team under Roberto Martinez, has a release clause in his contract. Under MacPhee's guidance, Aston Villa scored more set-piece goals than any other team in Europe's top five leagues during the 2023-24 season and ranked among the top five the following season, finishing joint-top with Arsenal in the Premier League last season. MacPhee would be one of several staff members leaving Villa Park this summer after the club won the Europa League and qualified for the Champions League under Unai Emery. New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has space in his backroom staff as current set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva moves into a behind-the-scenes role. The news comes after Chelsea signed Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for £117m, with Alejandro Garnacho moving in the opposite direction on loan.
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