Chelsea are in talks to sign Aston Villa's highly regarded set-piece coach Austin MacPhee, with new manager Xabi Alonso reshaping his backroom staff after previous set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva moved into a behind-the-scenes role. Villa would be due compensation for the 46-year-old Scot, who has combined his role at Villa Park with the Portugal national team for the past five years. Under MacPhee, Villa scored more goals from set-pieces than any other team in Europe's top five leagues in 2023-24, and ranked among the top five a season later.
The pursuit comes as Villa continue to offload key figures this summer. Chelsea signed Morgan Rogers from Villa for a British-record £117m this week, with Alejandro Garnacho moving in the opposite direction on an initial loan that includes an option to buy. That deal has implications for Villa's search for a striker: Premier League rules prohibit taking two players on loan from the same top-flight side, meaning any move for Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson would have to be permanent.
“Chelsea negotiate for Villa set-piece coach Austin MacPhee as Villa open talks for Nicolas Jackson and face Ollie Watkins exit interest.”
Villa have opened talks to sign Jackson, whom Unai Emery worked with at Villarreal. The 25-year-old Senegalese spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich, scoring 11 goals, and is valued by Chelsea at £65m — a figure that would surpass the club-record £50m Villa spent on Johan Manzambi earlier this summer. Xabi Alonso wants to assess Jackson despite leaving him out of Chelsea's initial squad for Australia this week.
The need for a new forward is pressing because Ollie Watkins, Villa's top scorer every year since joining in 2020, is attracting interest from Arsenal and Manchester United. Villa have already rebuffed a £35m bid from Fenerbahce for the England striker, who managed 21 goals last season. Watkins, an Arsenal fan, was the subject of a rejected bid from the Gunners in January 2025, and with Gabriel Jesus potentially departing, Arsenal could return. Reports suggest £40m could be enough to lure Villa into talks — but that would force them into the market again.
Villa's financial constraints have already triggered sales: Manchester United triggered a £35m release clause in Youri Tielemans' deal, and Paris Saint-Germain are in talks to re-sign Lucas Digne. The club's biggest income came from Rogers' £117m move to Chelsea.
Elsewhere, Wolves are looking for a fresh start after relegation from the Premier League. In his last interview as head coach before being sacked after seven months, Rob Edwards told BBC Sport he was looking forward to a "fresh start" with the club over the summer.