---
title: "Aston Villa set piece specialist leaves to join Chelsea"
canonical: "https://readastonvilla.com/2026/07/24/aston-villa-set-piece-specialist-leaves-to-join-chelsea/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "James Chettle"
section: "Aston Villa News"
published: "2026-07-24T17:36:35Z"
modified: "2026-09-22T11:03:08Z"
---

# Aston Villa set piece specialist leaves to join Chelsea

**Aston Villa have suffered a significant coaching blow after Austin MacPhee agreed to leave the club and join Chelsea.**

**MacPhee leaves Aston Villa following five years as the club’s specialist set-piece coach.**

[John Townley reports](https://x.com/johntownley11) that MacPhee said goodbye to Villa’s players and staff on Friday. His departure removes a highly regarded member of Unai Emery’s backroom team shortly before the new season.

> 🚨 EXCL: Austin MacPhee is leaving his role as Aston Villa's set-piece coach to join Chelsea. He said his goodbyes to the staff and players today. It's a big blow for Villa, who have held MacPhee's work in high regard throughout his five-year spell at the club.[#AVFC](https://x.com/hashtag/AVFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
>
> — John Townley (@johntownley11) [July 24, 2026](https://x.com/johntownley11/status/2080700586912014551?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

## Austin MacPhee leaves Aston Villa for Chelsea

MacPhee joined Villa in August 2021 during Dean Smith’s time as head coach. He remained at the club under Steven Gerrard and later became an important member of Emery’s coaching staff.

The 46-year-old built a strong reputation through Villa’s creative attacking routines. Their consistent threat from corners and free-kicks became an important part of the team’s progress under Emery.

ReadAstonVilla previously examined [MacPhee’s influence on Villa’s set-piece success](https://readastonvilla.com/2026/04/18/revealed-the-secret-behind-aston-villas-set-piece-masterclass-as-unai-emery-praises-genius-austin-macphee/). Only Arsenal recorded more set-piece goals than Villa across Europe’s leading leagues over the three seasons covered by that analysis.

MacPhee also played an influential role in Villa’s Europa League triumph last season. The routine which created Youri Tielemans’ opening goal in the final was developed on the training ground, with Emery later praising the coach’s attention to detail and creativity.

Chelsea will now add that expertise to Xabi Alonso’s staff. Villa, meanwhile, must identify a replacement capable of maintaining the standards established during MacPhee’s spell.

Austin MacPhee leaves Aston Villa after helping the club become one of Europe’s most productive set-piece teams. His departure represents another major change at Villa Park during a busy summer.