Henk on the brink

Henk ten Cate is expected to join Avram Grant’s coaching team at Chelsea if he can agree personal terms with the English club.

Ten Cate is poised to agree to a three-year contract with the Blues and team-up with Grant and assistant Steve Clarke.

After being given permission to talk to Chelsea, Ten Cate was involved in detailed negotiations with the Blues yesterday.

A statement issued by the Dutch club on their website, www.ajax.nl read: “Ajax have reached agreement with the English club about the immediate transfer of Henk ten Cate.

“After being approached by Chelsea, Henk ten Cate asked the Ajax management last week for permission to start negotiations with the Premier League side. After internal deliberations, Ajax granted permission.

“It is now up to Chelsea and Henk ten Cate to finalise the deal together. Ajax do not expect this to take much time.”

Grant is still looking for a fitness coach, a goalkeeping coach and a scout, but Clarke and Ten Cate would be the two men responsible for first-team affairs under him.

The 52-year-old Israeli has always worked with two assistants and confirmed last Friday he was hoping for a European coach to work with Clarke – citing Ten Cate as one of the men he had identified as a possible addition to his backroom staff.

However, Ajax fans will not be sad to see the back of Ten Cate even though they lie second in the Dutch league.

It is in Europe where they have suffered most after losing to Slavia Prague in Champions League qualifying before going down to Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Cup first round.

Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Sparta Rotterdam saw fans abuse ten Cate as they struggled to gain a point.

Ten Cate, who previously worked under compatriot Frank Rijkaard at Barcelona, defended his time in charge which saw him win last season’s Dutch Cup and the Dutch Super Cup.

He said: “Under my leadership we have played 41 games, gained 92 points and scored over a hundred goals.

“I can’t say if I was sitting on the Ajax bench for the last time. That’s not up to me. It’s now something between Ajax and Chelsea.

“I don’t know more than that the clubs are speaking. And if they don’t come to an agreement I will gladly be coach of Ajax until the end of the season. And if they reach a deal I will go to Chelsea.”

Meanwhile, Frank Lampard’s first match since the team’s last league victory over Portsmouth on August 25 helped Grant to his debut win as boss in the Premier League.

Salomon Kalou scored the decisive goal over Bolton at the Reebok Stadium and Lampard said: “It was very important for us to follow up the Champions League result.

“Our form has been poor and it’s important we turned the corner sooner rather than later.

“It’s always a difficult place to come and we showed all the qualities we needed to win the game.

“There’s a long way to go, we need to be up there like the last three seasons. We need to be challenging for the league rather than talking about being in eighth place or sixth place. It’s very important we win, and then talk about turning corners.

“We need to stick a run of wins together – five, six or seven – and hope other teams slip up.

“We’ve been in positions before where we’re up there and you always fear teams coming from behind and putting a run together, and we have to be that team.”