MacPhee, 46, will become Chelsea's specialist set-piece coach following a five-year spell at Villa Park, where he played a key role in Aston Villa's recent success under Unai Emery, culminating in last season's Europa League triumph. He said his farewells to Villa staff on Friday and will now link up with the likes of Morgan Rogers, who completed his own £117m move to Stamford Bridge last week.
MacPhee also worked alongside Portugal manager Roberto Martinez at this summer's World Cup, having built his reputation on set-piece work first with Northern Ireland under Michael O'Neill, where his side scored 11 goals from set plays in qualifying for Euro 2016. He later coached at Hearts before serving as Scotland's assistant under Steve Clarke, helping the country reach Euro 2024 before stepping back to spend more time with family and focus on his Villa duties.
"Austin was great for me," Clarke said of his former assistant. "He took a lot of workload away with the set-plays as well as being a proficient coach. He felt every defeat badly and he felt every win fantastically, so he's a big miss for us."
Elsewhere at Cobham, midfielder Ollie Harrison has signed a new contract until 2029. He joined Chelsea from Newcastle United in August 2023 and quickly established himself in the club's Under-18s, captaining the side to Under-17 Premier League Cup success in his first season before helping the Under-18s win the Premier League South title.
Since signing his first professional deal in August 2024, Harrison has become a regular for Chelsea's Under-21s, helping them lift the Premier League 2 title last season, while also earning senior involvement on the bench for matches against Manchester City, Leeds United, Leicester City and Lincoln City. He has represented England at every youth level up to Under-18.
Goalkeeper Toby Bell has also put pen to paper on his first professional contract. Bell joined Chelsea's academy during his Under-15 season and made his Under-18 debut as a schoolboy against Millwall in November 2024, before featuring in the club's Under-19 UEFA Youth League squad last season for matches against Atalanta and Real Madrid.
After returning from injury, he made his first Under-18 appearance of the campaign in a London derby against Fulham, and has represented England throughout his youth development.