Chelsea agree Ten Cate deal

Former Ajax boss heading to Bridge

By Rob Parrish   Last updated: 10th October 2007

Chelsea agree Ten Cate deal

Ten Cate: Chelsea move

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Chelsea will appoint Henk ten Cate as assistant coach in the next 24 hours after reaching an agreement with Ajax.

The 52-year-old Dutchman resigned as manager of the Eredivise club on Monday and will now work under Avram Grant at Stamford Bridge.

A statement on the club's official website read: "Chelsea Football Club has reached agreement with Ajax for the release of Henk ten Cate.

"We expect to finalise his contract with Chelsea FC in the next 24 hours as assistant first team coach."

Ten Cate is credited with moulding the tactical system which turned Frank Rijkaard's Barcelona into Europe's most attractive team in recent years.

The Dutch duo enjoyed enormous success working together at Camp Nou, with Ten Cate as Rijkaard's assistant, winning two Spanish league titles, two Spanish Super Cups and the 2006 Champions League.

His protracted exit from Ajax comes on the back of the club crashing out of both the UEFA Champions League and Uefa Cup in the space of a few weeks.

Blues boss Grant will now have two assistants to call upon, with ten Cate working alongside Steve Clarke.