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FourFourTwo
FourFourTwo
Sport
Isaac Stacey Stronge

Who is Arsenal's new throw-in coach? Gunners appoint former Liverpool figure from Jurgen Klopp era

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 15: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Coach Thomas Gronnemark speaks to the players of Liverpool during a training session at Melwood Training Ground on October 15, 2019 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images).

Arsenal have engaged the services of throw-in expert Thomas Gronnemark.

Mikel Arteta's side are already renowned for their lethal approach to set-pieces, most notably corners.

The delivery of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, mixed with the unstoppable power of Gabriel, makes their routines almost impossible to defend.

Who is new Arsenal man, Thomas Gronnemark?

The mastermind behind those training-ground techniques is Nicolas Jover, who can be seen prowling the technical area whenever a dead-ball situation arises.

But he'll soon have company, as the Gunners have recruited Gronnemark, who specialises specifically in throw-ins.

Gronnemark has also worked with Trabzonspor in Turkey (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Danish coach is most noted for his work with Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp, from 2018 until 2023, and has also done consultancy work at Brentford.

The Bees are currently the most lethal from throw-ins, having scored nine such goals since the start of last season.

Much like in the days of Rory Delap at Stoke City, throw-ins are coming back into fashion as a creative opportunity, illustrated that there have already been five more goals scored this way this season (25) than the entirety of the previous campaign (20).

Speaking to BBC Sport last year, Gronnemark said: "Throw-ins are underestimated by coaches, players, commentators and fans as something you should just do and see what happens."

While Gronnemark was at Liverpool, their possession from throw-ins went from 45.8% to 68.4%, the latter measure making them the best team in the league at that time based on that metric.

Brentford pay a lot of attention to throw-ins, with Michael Kayode their main distance-thrower (Image credit: Getty Images)

In FourFourTwo's opinion, it's the sort of recruitment that will leave your dad with a scrunched-up face, but Gronnemark's time at Liverpool suggests there's something in it.

Just because Arsenal are already the masters at some set-pieces, particularly corners, doesn't mean they should disregard improvements elsewhere.

The Dane is believed to have been recruited on a part-time basis, so presuming the costs are relatively low, it's a gamble worth taking.

The Gunners may never have a better chance to finally win the league under Arteta, so you can't blame them for pulling out all the stops to try and get it over the line.

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