Report: Former Liverpool coach set to join Premier League rivals

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Arsenal’s Search for Marginal Gains Leads Back to Liverpool’s Throw-In Revolution

Modern title races are rarely settled by grand gestures. More often, they hinge on the smallest details: a second ball won, a set-piece perfected, a moment of organisation when chaos reigns. It is in this narrow space between excellence and dominance that Arsenal have once again gone looking for an edge — and have found it in an unlikely place.

Their latest move, bringing Thomas Gronnemark back into their orbit as a consultant, speaks less to novelty and more to continuity. Arsenal already lead the Premier League in set-piece efficiency this season. Now they want more. Not more corners, not more free kicks, but better throw-ins — football’s most neglected restart.

The original report, published by The Times, reveals that Arsenal have turned to the Danish specialist who once helped transform Liverpool into champions, believing that even a marginal improvement here could tilt the balance of a title race that remains unforgivingly tight.

Photo: IMAGO

Why Gronnemark’s Methods Still Matter

Gronnemark is not a theorist. He is a technician. A former athlete who once held the world record for the longest throw-in, he has spent the past two decades dismantling the assumption that throw-ins are simply pauses in play. Under his guidance, they become structured attacks, possession-retention tools, and occasionally, direct weapons.

During his time at Liverpool, the impact was immediate and measurable. Liverpool moved from being one of the league’s poorest sides at retaining possession from throw-ins to the very best within a single season. That improvement did not happen in isolation. It was part of a broader culture of marginal gains that underpinned a Champions League triumph and a long-awaited Premier League title.

Arsenal’s interest is rooted in that history. Gronnemark’s methods are not about simply throwing the ball further. They are about decision-making, spacing, movement, and anticipation — the same fundamentals that govern elite pressing systems and set-piece routines.

Arsenal’s Set-Piece Obsession Explained

Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have become football’s most meticulous students. Set-pieces have been a cornerstone of that evolution. With Nicolas Jover overseeing dead-ball situations, Arsenal now score more goals from corners and free kicks than any other Premier League side this season.

The logic of extending that philosophy to throw-ins is irresistible. Matches typically contain between 40 and 60 throw-ins. Improving outcomes even marginally across that volume creates a meaningful advantage. Possession retained means pressure sustained. Pressure sustained means territory gained. Territory gained, eventually, becomes goals.

It is no coincidence that Arteta’s coaching journey included an early realisation that set-pieces would be decisive at the highest level. The appointment of specialists — and now external consultants like Gronnemark — reflects a manager who sees preparation as cumulative rather than cosmetic.

Lessons Learned from Liverpool’s Title Years

Liverpool’s embrace of Gronnemark was emblematic of an era in which innovation was encouraged rather than questioned. Players were trained not just to throw accurately, but to read opposition shape, manipulate pressing traps, and recycle possession under pressure.

One full-back increased his throw-in range by nearly eight metres. More importantly, the team learned how to treat throw-ins as controlled phases of play rather than moments of vulnerability. That shift contributed directly to Liverpool’s ability to dominate territory and tempo during their most successful seasons.

Now, Arsenal hope to apply those same lessons. The clubs are different. The squads are different. But the margins remain the same.

As The Times notes in its original reporting, Arsenal’s decision to consult Gronnemark reflects a belief that the title race will not be won by headline moments alone. It will be won in the accumulation of small, repeatable advantages — the kind that rarely make highlight reels, but often decide championships.

If Arsenal do go on to lift the Premier League trophy, it is unlikely anyone will point to a single throw-in as the defining moment. But somewhere in the noise of a season, in the quiet efficiency of restarts done properly, Gronnemark’s influence may once again prove decisive.

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