{
  "id": 81488,
  "title": "Aston Villa set-piece guru MacPhee joins Chelsea",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/aston-villa-set-piece-guru-macphee-joins-chelsea",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-03T09:33:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Sport Football",
    "slug": "bbc-sport-football",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c0m7w21v2rzo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Aston Villa's renowned set-piece coach, Austin MacPhee, has transferred to Chelsea for the pre-season tour in Hong Kong. The 46-year-old Scottish coach joined the English club in a deal where the exact fee remains undisclosed, as he was bound by a release clause. MacPhee's move comes amidst competition from other Premier League sides and Saudi Pro League teams. Prior to his arrival at Chelsea, MacPhee had been working with the Portugal national team for the past five years under the guidance of Roberto Martinez, who subsequently left the club following the World Cup. During his tenure at Aston Villa, MacPhee contributed significantly to the team's success, as they scored more set-piece goals than any other side in Europe's top five leagues during the 2023-24 season. Their impressive set-piece performance continued the following season, ranking among the top five in Europe and eventually sharing the top spot with Arsenal in the Premier League. The departure of MacPhee creates a vacancy in Chelsea's backroom staff, as previous set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva, who had joined from Brentford for £750,000 in 2024, is now shifting his focus from a front-line role to a more behind-the-scenes position. Chelsea bolstered their squad recently by signing Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for £117 million, while Alejandro Garnacho moved to the club on an initial loan deal that is expected to convert into a permanent transfer.",
  "summary": "Highly-rated set-piece coach Austin MacPhee joins Chelsea's pre-season tour in Hong Kong from Aston Villa.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}