How Throw-in Specialist Thomas Gronnemark Can Make Arsenal Even Better at Set-Pieces

Arsenal are already the best team in the Premier League when it comes to set-pieces, but they are likely to get even better after hiring a specialist throw-in coach.

The Gunners have scored 14 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League this season. That is more than any other team, while it is 11 more than Liverpool — who are the Premier League’s worst team at set-pieces right now.

Arsenal — who finished top of the Premier League’s calendar year table for 2025 — are already masters when it comes to corners and free-kicks, but they have not mastered long throw-ins… yet.

Premier League teams ranked by set-piece goals this season (2025/26)

Team	Set-piece goals scored	Set-piece goals conceded	Net set-piece goals
Arsenal	14	5	+9
Man United	13	9	+4
Chelsea	12	9	+3
Leeds	12	10	+2
Newcastle	11	9	+2
Tottenham	11	3	+8
Bournemouth	10	14	-4
Aston Villa	9	8	+1
Crystal Palace	8	12	-4
Everton	8	5	+3
Fulham	8	8	0
Sunderland	8	5	+3
Brighton	7	6	+1
West Ham	7	13	-6
Man City	6	6	0
Brentford	5	4	+1
Burnley	5	8	-3
Nottingham Forest	5	13	-8
Wolves	4	6	-2
Liverpool	3	13	-10

Arsenal hire Thomas Gronnemark as throw-in coach

Mikel Arteta has signalled his intention to squeeze even more marginal gains out of Arsenal’s set-piece game by bringing in specialist throw-in coach Thomas Gronnemark.

The Dane is working with Arsenal in a consultancy role, focusing specifically on improving both long-throw delivery and overall efficiency from throw-in situations.

While Arsenal dominate corners and free-kicks under set-piece coach Nicolas Jover, they have yet to score a Premier League goal from a throw-in since the start of last season — a rare blind spot in an otherwise elite set-piece operation.

Arteta has already experimented with Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori as long-throw takers this season, but the returns have been limited. The arrival of a dedicated throw-in specialist suggests Arsenal believe there is genuine potential in turning this overlooked phase into another weapon.

The appointment also continues Arsenal’s growing coaching links with Brentford. Gronnemark has worked with the Bees as a throw-in consultant in recent seasons, helping them become the Premier League’s most productive team from long-throw situations.

Meanwhile, Premier League title favourites Arsenal already employ former Brentford set-piece coach Nicolas Jover and previously brought in Andreas Georgson from the Gtech Community Stadium, before he later left to join Tottenham.

Who is Thomas Gronnemark?

Gronnemark is widely regarded as the world’s leading throw-in coach.

A former Danish footballer and athlete, he once held the world record for the longest throw-in at over 51 metres, but his reputation has been built far more on tactical methodology than raw distance alone.

Over the past two decades he has consulted for clubs across Europe and Asia, including Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, FC Midtjylland, Union Saint-Gilloise and Brentford. In 2018, he was invited by Jurgen Klopp to join Liverpool’s backroom staff.

Rather than simply encouraging players to hurl the ball into the box, Gronnemark teaches structured movements, blocking patterns, quick restarts and possession-retention principles. Long throws are treated as just one tool within a broader tactical framework.

He has also helped transform technically gifted players into effective throwers, showing that the skill can be trained rather than relying purely on natural strength.

Did Thomas Gronnemark make Liverpool better at throw-ins?

Liverpool may be the worst Premier League team at set-pieces this season, but Gronnemark previously helped them become one of the best.

During Gronnemark’s early spell at Anfield, the club’s possession retention from throw-ins jumped from around 45% to almost 70%, moving them from the bottom of the league to first on that metric.

That improvement aligned with Liverpool’s rise to Champions League winners and Premier League champions.

Klopp was unequivocal about the impact, saying of Gronnemark: “He changed our throw-in game completely.”

On an individual level, Gronnemark helped Andy Robertson increase the length of his throws by almost eight metres, turning throw-ins into genuine attacking platforms rather than rushed restarts.

Gronnemark has his own YouTube channel, where he brands himself “the Throw-in Coach”.

What has Thomas Gronnemark said about throw-ins?

Gronnemark has consistently argued that throw-ins remain undervalued across football.

He previously explained: “Throw-ins are underestimated by coaches, players, commentators and fans as something you should just do and see what happens.”

Gronnemark has also highlighted the importance of coaching throw-ins, adding: “If you are expecting professional footballers to be world-class throwers without coaching then you are pretty optimistic. Generally the standard is quite poor.”

And perhaps most tellingly, he has pointed to the sheer volume of opportunities available in every match. He once said: “Improving throw-ins has a high impact, because you have 40 to 60 of them in every match. It’s easy to improve throw-ins with the right training.”

For a manager as detail-driven as Arteta, those marginal gains are difficult to ignore.

How many more goals might Arsenal score if they get better at throw-ins?

The potential upside to hiring Gronnemark becomes clearer when looking at how many goals Premier League teams have already generated from long throw-ins since the start of last season.

Team	Goals from throw-ins (since start of last season)
Brentford	9
Man United	4
Bournemouth	4
Crystal Palace	3
Sunderland	2
Burnley	1
Wolves	1
Leeds	1
Arsenal	0

Brentford’s nine goals demonstrate just how valuable this niche can become when coached properly. Even mid-table sides like Bournemouth and Crystal Palace have gained multiple goals from well-drilled throw-in patterns.

If Arsenal were able to add even three to five throw-in goals per season, that could represent a meaningful swing in tight title races and knockout competitions — especially for a side already elite at corners and free-kicks.

Given Gronnemark’s track record at both Liverpool and Brentford, Arsenal’s decision looks less like a novelty and more like another carefully calculated edge in Arteta’s relentless pursuit of marginal gains.