Ajax let Chelsea talk to Ten Cate

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Ajax let Chelsea talk to Ten Cate</p>
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<div class="cap">Ten Cate was assistant at Barcelona before taking over at Ajax</div>
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Ajax have given Chelsea the green light to open talks with boss Henk ten Cate about adding the Dutchman to the coaching set-up at Stamford Bridge. </font></p>

<font size="2">Ten Cate is expected to join Chelsea as assistant to Avram Grant, who recently succeeded Jose Mourinho as Blues boss. </font></p>

<font size="2">"Ajax have reached agreement with the English club about the immediate transfer of Henk ten Cate to Chelsea," said an Ajax statement. </font></p>

<font size="2">Ajax expect a deal to be reached quickly between the two parties. </font></p>

<font size="2">The statement from the club added: "After being approached by Chelsea, Henk ten Cate asked the Ajax management last week for permission to start negotiations with the Premier League side. </font></p>

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<font size="2">"After internal deliberations, Ajax granted permission." </font></p>

<font size="2">Ten Cate, 52, was formerly assistant to Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard and helped the Catalan club win the Champions League and Spanish title in 2006. </font></p>

<font size="2">He took over at Ajax at the start of last season and led the club to joint-top in his first campaign, with the club losing out on the title by goal difference. </font></p>

<font size="2">Ajax did win two domestic cup competitions but Ten Cate has endured a more difficult time so far during the current campaign. </font></p>

<font size="2">The club went out of the Champions League in the third qualifying round after being beaten by Slavia Prague and were knocked out of the Uefa Cup by Dinamo Zagreb. </font></p>

<font size="2">Ten Cate's last game in charge of the Amsterdam outfit was last weekend's 2-2 draw with Sparta Rotterdam when he and some of the club's hierarchy came in for criticism from some fans. </font></p>

<font size="2">But Ten Cate defended his Ajax record and said afterwards: "What must I say about that? Under my leadership we have played 41 games, gained 92 points and scored over a hundred goals." </font></p>

<font size="2">The international break could allow the switch to take place before Chelsea's next Premier League game at Middlesbrough on 20 October. </font></p>

<font size="2">Steve Clarke was assistant to Mourinho and Chelsea are thought to want him to continue, despite Ten Cate's arrival. </font></p>