Chelsea are reportedly closing in on the appointment of Austin MacPhee, who is expected to join Xabi Alonso’s coaching setup before the 2026-27 season begins.

MacPhee is set to leave Aston Villa after five seasons and step into the set-piece coach role at Chelsea, taking over from Bernardo Cueva. Cueva will remain part of Alonso’s staff, although in a behind-the-scenes capacity.

The move highlights how far the game has shifted. Set-piece coaching is no longer a detail tucked away on a staff chart. In modern soccer, dead-ball situations now carry major weight, with some teams placing them alongside, or even above, open-play structure as a route to goals.

What once passed almost unnoticed is now treated as a core part of club planning. Specialists in this area can shape results, and Chelsea appear to have targeted one of the most respected names in that field.

MacPhee’s work at Aston Villa made the club one of the most dangerous set-piece sides in Europe. His methods were described as innovative, creative and lethal, giving Unai Emery’s attack an added threat from dead-ball situations.

The numbers support that reputation. Villa scored 29 set-piece goals last season, the joint-most in Europe’s top-five leagues alongside Arsenal. Chelsea, by comparison, scored 21.

In a sport where efficiency from set pieces can be decisive, Chelsea are strengthening a department that has become increasingly important across the game.

If MacPhee does arrive, it will be the third separate piece of business between Chelsea and Aston Villa during the summer transfer window. Earlier in the month, Chelsea made attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers the most expensive British player in history, paying a club-record $157.3 million (£117 million) to sign the England international from Villa.

Liverpool opened the Andoni Iraola era with a 4-2 win over Sunderland in their preseason opener on Saturday, a result that offered early encouragement and a few familiar concerns.

The Reds struck first in a move that summed up Iraola’s approach, moving from deep to the final third in only four passes. James McConnell was involved in the build-up before Kieran Morrison finished neatly into the far corner after cutting in from the right.

After the restart, though, Jeremie Frimpong was caught in possession near his own penalty area and Sunderland punished the mistake through Timur Tuterov. Liverpool responded quickly, with Dominik Szoboszlai levelling less than 10 minutes later after collecting a rebound and drilling a strike from outside the area past Melker Ellborg.

From there, Liverpool took control. Federico Chiesa added the third, and Lewis Koumas completed the scoring late on. The final goal was another example of the vertical, direct pattern Iraola wants, with the ball moved quickly from midfield into a dangerous attacking position before Koumas finished calmly.

There was plenty of evidence of a side trying to press high and recover the ball aggressively, but the risks of that approach were also exposed. When the press was bypassed, Liverpool could be opened up in transition, and Sunderland found space to create their second goal.

One of the biggest negatives came early when Joe Gomez went down with an apparent muscular issue and had to be withdrawn. He has continued to struggle with availability, having played just over 2,000 minutes across the last two seasons and missed more than 30 games through injury. He was replaced by 18-year-old Ifeanyi Ndukwe.

With several senior players still away or only just returning to fitness, the match also gave younger players a chance to stand out. Morrison impressed alongside Rio Ngumoha, while McConnell was influential before his costly turnover. Trey Nyoni was perhaps the most eye-catching after the break, leading the match in defensive contributions and chance creation.

It was not a flawless start, but it was a clear one.

Manchester City are confronting their toughest spell in a decade after the departures of Pep Guardiola, Bernardo Silva and John Stones since the end of last season. Rodri could still leave as Real Madrid begin to reciprocate his feelings of attraction.

City had already acted before that possibility gathered pace, signing Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest in a club-record move. The transfer briefly made him the most expensive Englishman of all time, even if the original plan was likely to use him alongside Rodri.

That leaves City looking for specific fixes and greater depth rather than a full rebuild. A winger is one area under consideration, and the Daily Mail reports that Chelsea’s Pedro Neto is among the names being explored, with Yan Diomande and Ibrahim Mbaye also mentioned.

Neto would also reconnect him with Maresca, under whom he made 77 appearances, contributed 27 goals and assists, and was the manager’s seventh most-used player in 2024-25. City’s interest is not tied only to Maresca’s move back to the Etihad Stadium either, since they had been linked with Neto and several other clubs in 2024 before he signed with Chelsea.

That naturally raises the question of which other players Maresca knew at Stamford Bridge might now enter the discussion. Malo Gusto looks the clearest practical fit, given the lack of depth at right back. Matheus Nunes remains the first choice there despite being a midfielder by trade, while Rico Lewis spent much of last season either out of favour or not healthy. The issue is the reported £75 million ($100 million) valuation.

City are stronger elsewhere in defence. Marc Guéhi has already been signed to effectively replace Stones in advance, while Vitor Reis is back after a formative loan at Girona. Maresca also has three left-back options in Nico O’Reilly, Rayan Aït-Nouri and Joško Gvardiol.

In midfield, Enzo Fernández had been a player of interest, but Moisés Caicedo may be the better fit to replace Rodri, although he would be close to impossible to sign. Cole Palmer remains another persistent topic, with speculation that he is homesick in London and longs to return to Manchester refusing to go away. Maresca never saw the same explosive breakout star Mauricio Pochettino worked with in 2023-24, but the talent is still there.

City recently gave Phil Foden a new contract, yet there is room for another fluid attacker as they prepare to stay active in four competitions well into 2027. If Palmer returned and rotated with Foden and Rayan Cherki, City would look formidable again.