Thomas Gronnemark has taken to Twitter to post a heartfelt thread in which he confirmed his impending exit from Liverpool and thanked the club, management team and players for a ‘fantastic ride’ during his five-year association with the Reds.
James Pearce reported for The Athletic on Wednesday that the 47-year-old’s contract at Anfield wouldn’t be renewed once it expires this summer, with an ‘amicable’ departure being agreed upon.
The Dane had been contracted as a throw-in coach on Merseyside, with a number of other clubs also availing of his expertise in that regard, considering his status as the world record holder for the distance achieved with a single utilisation of that particular set piece.
Gronnemark posted a series of tweets on Wednesday evening, saying: “All good things come to an end. Liverpool and I have decided not to continue our agreement about the throw-in coaching after five great seasons. I’m proud of being a part of taking LFC from 18th to 1st in the Premier League on throw-ins under pressure.
“Since then, 25 professional clubs have hired me based on the impressive development in Liverpool – and I´ve been part of 14 titles, promotions and teams punching above their weight.
“The last seasons didn´t allow me to work as much with the throw-ins as I wanted – and therefore it is natural and expectable that we say thanks for this time now.
“Thank you for a great time and cooperation, to Liverpool FC and Jürgen Klopp, the staff and players. We had a fantastic ride.
“What now then, Thomas? Well, exciting things ahead. Three new agreements signed for the upcoming season, also one on a new continent. I am open to even more clubs in the upcoming season.”
There may have been a temptation in some cynical quarters to mock Liverpool over hiring Gronnemark as a throw-in coach when he first came on board in 2018, but there is convincing factual evidence to show that his appointment was not only justified but, in fact, a masterstroke.
As per Tifo Football (via The Guardian), the Reds had the third-worst success rate in the Premier League for throw-ins under pressure (45.4%) in the 2017/18 campaign. Within one season, that had shot up to 68.4%, the second-best return in all of Europe.
The 47-year-old has cited Andy Robertson as a case study of a player who’s improved substantially under his watch, going from someone ‘who couldn’t throw past 19 metres when I met him’ to improving the radius of his throw-ins by more than half a square kilometre (The Guardian).
With Klopp deciding not to grant Gronnemark’s request of more time with the Liverpool players on the training ground, and the Dane being a very rare presence at Kirkby in recent months (The Athletic), a parting of the ways comes as no surprise.
He leaves the Reds with his reputation hugely enhanced, and his role in improving the team massively in one important yet much-overlooked regard will be greatly appreciated by those who worked with him on Merseyside over the past five years.
You can see the first tweet in the thread from Gronnemark below (the rest can be viewed in the replies), via @ThomasThrowin on Twitter:
All good things come to an end.
Liverpool and I have decided not to continue our agreement about the throw-in coaching after five great seasons.
I´m proud of being a part of taking LFC from 18th to 1st in the Premier League on throw-ins under pressure. 1/6 (video in the end) pic.twitter.com/tOaEjERxXu— Thomas Gronnemark (@ThomasThrowin) May 10, 2023