Emery's secret weapon heads to Chelsea

One of Aston Villa's quiet heroes of the past five years is switching clubs. According to Ben Jacobs, highly-regarded set-piece coach Austin MacPhee is leaving Aston Villa to join Chelsea; the development was confirmed via journalist John Townley, who first broke the story.

The timing of the farewell has also become clear. According to Townley, MacPhee said his goodbyes to Villa's players and staff on Friday; the club has not made a formal announcement, but is reported to have held MacPhee's work in high regard throughout his five-year spell.

MacPhee's history at Villa is rather impressive. Having joined the club in August 2021 under Dean Smith and continued in his role under Steven Gerrard and Unai Emery, the Scottish coach is credited with helping the club become one of Europe's most productive set-piece teams over the past five years.

There is also a concrete example of this influence. It is recalled that MacPhee personally designed the routine on the training ground that led to Youri Tielemans' opening goal in this season's Europa League final, with Emery later praising the coach's attention to detail and creativity.

Chelsea's expectations from this move are also clear. The club is reported to be adding another specialist to Xabi Alonso's coaching staff through this move, with players such as Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana offering height, alongside dead-ball takers Cole Palmer and Reece James, all standing to benefit.

MacPhee's extensive career history also underscores the value of this move. Having worked with the Northern Ireland national team, Hearts, FC Midtjylland and the Scotland national team, and continuing in his role as assistant coach for the Portugal national team, it is emphasised that Villa must now find a successor capable of maintaining the standards MacPhee leaves behind.

Source: Ben Jacobs
Image: Ben Jacobs (X)