Aston Villa in talks to appoint Burnley’s Pal Fjelde as new set piece coach

Aston Villa are in talks to appoint Pal Fjelde from Burnley as their new set piece coach.

If a deal is finalised, Fjelde will replace Austin MacPhee, who decided to leave Villa for Chelsea last month.

MacPhee’s exit had been a surprise to Villa, with senior figures informed of his departure on July 23. Chelsea subsequently met the clause in his contract, allowing the Scot to move on.

Villa were therefore without a specialist set-piece lead for their pre-season tour of Asia, but the club has been working on securing a replacement.

Fjelde joined Burnley last year and worked under former head coach Scott Parker during the team’s 2025-26 season, which ended in relegation from the top flight.

The 32-year-old has also been his native Norway’s set piece coach since June 2022 and was part of the nation’s run to the World Cup quarter-finals this summer.

Previously, Fjelde has worked as an assistant at Viborg in Denmark, having retired from playing in 2021, following spells at Bryne and a brief stay at Scottish Premier League club, St Mirren.

If the move is completed, Fjelde will be the latest change to Unai Emery’s coaching staff, after Chema Sanz replaced the outgoing Pako Ayesteran as the Spaniard’s assistant, while Rodri, Villa’s individual player coach, departed for Como.