Chelsea Set to Poach Aston Villa's Set-Piece Guru Austin MacPhee as Morgan Rogers Reunion Looms

Chelsea are on the verge of adding a specialist to their backroom staff, with Aston Villa's highly regarded set-piece coach Austin MacPhee expected to join the Blues. According to Birmingham Live reporter John Townley, the 46-year-old has already said his goodbyes to Villa players and staff ahead of linking up with Xabi Alonso's coaching team at Stamford Bridge. MacPhee's arrival will reunite him with Morgan Rogers, who left Villa for Chelsea in a club-record €138 million (£117m) deal earlier this summer. The pair were instrumental in Villa's run to UEFA Europa League glory last season - the club's first European trophy since 1982 - and also played a key role in securing a top-four Premier League finish and Champions League qualification. Set pieces were a major weapon for Villa last term. They scored 18 league goals from dead-ball situations, the third-highest tally in the division and five more than Chelsea managed. One of those came in a thrilling 4-2 win over Liverpool in May, when Rogers buried a stunning strike after a short-corner routine and raced to the touchline to embrace MacPhee. MacPhee's reputation extends beyond club football. He was in charge of set pieces for Portugal's World Cup campaign under Roberto Martínez, who praised his meticulous preparation after a 5-0 group-stage win over Uzbekistan. Martínez told insider sources: "Set pieces are an obsession for Austin. He's amazing. Both set-piece goals we scored were executed perfectly." Chelsea are also closing in on another addition: Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix. sources reports that a €60m (£52m) fee has been agreed and the France centre-back is set to sign a long-term contract until 2032. Lacroix would become Alonso's third signing as head coach, following Rogers and Marco Palestra, with several pre-arranged deals also coming through.