ARS turn to former LIV and Brentford throw-in expert to improve long throws

Thomas Gronnemark is working with Arsenal as a long-throw coach.

The Danish coach previously worked as Liverpool's throw-in coach under Jurgen Klopp between 2018 and 2023, while he has also worked for Brentford as a throw-in coach on a consultancy basis.

Sky Sports News understands Gronnemark is working with Arsenal as a consultant as well, it is not a full-time role.

At Brentford, Gronnemark has helped the Bees become the best long-throw team in the Premier League, with the west Londonders scoring nine goals since the start of last season. Arsenal have failed to score any in that period.

The move for Gronnemark continues a growing link between Arsenal and Brentford in terms of coaching staff.

Mikel Arteta has hired two former Brentford set-piece coaches in Nicolas Jover and Andreas Georgson - now at Thomas Frank with Spurs - while he also has former Brentford goalkeeper coach Inaki Cana working with former Bees goalkeeper David Raya - in his backroom staff.

Analysis: What can Gronnemark bring to Arsenal?

"We want to be the kings of everything," said Mikel Arteta last year. "In corners best in the world. In open play the best in the world." Now Arsenal are moving to be the kings of the long throw.

Like most of the Premier League, Arsenal have moved to long throws in a bid to improve marginal gains from set pieces. Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori have been tasked with long throws from either side, but have struggled to create meaningful chances from them.

Christian Norgaard is pehaps deemed Arsenal's most effective long throw taker, but has struggled for minutes in the Premier League this season.

So Arsenal have turned to Gronnemark in a bid to improve in this area. Given what he did at Brentford, it's not a bad idea.

Gronnemark took several Brentford players and took them into what he describes as "world-class long throwers". Michael Kayode is the obvious example, but the likes of Mathias Jensen and Kevin Schade have also developed into top throwers for the Bees.

The fact that Jensen and Schade - both technical players with their feet - can be turned into effective set-piece weapons with their hands shows how effective the Dane is at developing long throwers.

Arteta has earmarked Rice as a potential world-class long thrower himself, based on the Arsenal midfielder's ability to pick up new skills quickly.

"I don't know how good [Kayode] was a year ago, or two years ago or three years ago," said Arteta last month. "I know how good Declan was at taking set pieces three or four years ago and I know how good he is now.

"It does not happen overnight. Things have to be trained, evolved and tweaked. And the player has to believe as well, which is key. When you look at Declan, he can do almost everything you require him to do."

With Thomas Tuchel also looking into long throws as an option for his England team, Gronnemark's move to Arsenal could help the national team in the World Cup next summer, as well as Arteta's Arsenal pick up trophies

But the crucial thing with Gronnemark is he is not just a long throw expert. Klopp hired him at Liverpool in 2018 because he wanted to use throw-ins as a weapon to attack transitions. The Dane refers to them as "fast and clever" throw-ins.

So Arsenal are turning to their throw-in coach to improve all areas of the game. But if they can add throw-ins to their corner, free-kick and open play proficiency, then Arteta's side could go up a gear in the second half of the season.