🚨 CHELSEA IN TALKS FOR SET-PIECE WIZARD - COMPETITION HEATING UP

📝 THE FULL PICTURE: Chelsea are in active talks to bring Austin MacPhee from Aston Villa. The 46-year-old Scottish set-piece coach is one of the best in the game-Villa scored more goals from set-pieces than any other team in Europe’s top five leagues in 2023-24, then finished joint-top with Arsenal last season. MacPhee also works with Portugal’s national team under Roberto Martinez. Villa would get compensation thanks to a release clause, but Chelsea face competition from other Premier League clubs and Saudi Pro League teams. New Blues boss Xabi Alonso needs a set-piece guy because current coach Bernardo Cueva is shifting to a behind-the-scenes role. Meanwhile, Chelsea just dropped £117m on Villa’s Morgan Rogers, with Alejandro Garnacho heading to Villa on loan. 💭 MY TAKE: This is a wild chess move. MacPhee is the real deal-turning set-pieces into goals is an art, and Chelsea are desperate for any edge. The fact that Villa are losing staff after winning the Conference League shows how good they’ve been. Xabi Alonso knows what he wants, and stealing a top coach from a rival? That’s cold. Oh, and Rogers for £117m? That’s insane money, dude. Garnacho on loan is a nice backup plan. Let’s see if MacPhee actually signs.