Xabi Alonso's "Blockbuster" Signing Isn't a Player

If you can't beat them, join them. In the 2025-2026 Premier League season, Nicolas Jover's tactical wizardry was as much criticized as it was successful. Arsenal's title triumph was largely attributed to the set-piece routines meticulously crafted by the German-French guru in North London. This success has prompted an increasing number of teams to emulate the Gunners' ability to gain an advantage from dead-ball situations. Among them is Xabi Alonso's Chelsea, who appear determined to become the Premier League's set-piece kings.

“Chelsea’s most important summer signing isn’t a player,” wrote The Telegraph after the Blues officially confirmed news previously reported by journalist Jon Townley: set-piece coach Austin MacPhee was leaving Unai Emery’s Aston Villa to join Alonso’s staff. Another strategic mastermind, following stints at Birmingham and with the Portuguese national team, MacPhee will be available to Chelsea from the 2026-2027 season.

Evidently, Austin MacPhee possesses a unique talent, given that after his arrival at Villa Park in 2021, both Dean Smith, Steven Gerrard, and Unai Emery retained him within their coaching setups.

His work as a set-piece coach, which he combined with an assistant role for the Scottish national team from August of that year until September 2024, did not go unnoticed. It was then, in February 2025, that the Scottish guru received a call from Roberto Martínez.

The 25 goals Aston Villa scored from set-pieces across all competitions in the 2023-2024 season made the Villans the most prolific team in Europe in this regard and convinced the Portugal national team coach. Not to mention the 29 goals from set-pieces they finished the 2025-2026 season with, sharing the top spot on the continent with the Gunners – Premier League champions and Champions League finalists. Among these was the spectacular goal from a corner, finished with a volley from the edge of the box by Youri Tielemans, which opened the scoring in their historic 3-0 triumph over Freiburg in the Europa League final.

It was these meticulously crafted routines, developed by the Scottish strategist, that led the club's fans to chant “Austin MacPhee, ole, ole” after he contributed to 74 goals for Aston Villa. And it's precisely these tactics that Xabi Alonso wants for his Chelsea. The former member of Unai Emery's staff wasted no time in making his mark as the Blues' set-piece coach. Officially announced on August 4th, just four days later, on August 8th, two of the three goals scored by the London team in their final pre-season friendly against AC Milan (3-0) came from set-pieces. The third goal, scored by Moises Caicedo, was almost a carbon copy of Tielemans' goal in Istanbul.

In a summer where the London club completed its biggest transfer in history, paying 138 million euros for Morgan Rogers, the spotlight is (almost) entirely on the bearded, long-haired set-piece coach. Always with a notebook in hand and a central figure in every pre-match training session, Austin MacPhee promises to be a crucial and decisive figure in the revival of the Blues' project. After scoring only 13 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League during the 2025-2026 season, the two set-piece goals scored by Chelsea in Jakarta are just the first, but certainly not the last.