Ten Cate sacked by Chelsea

Chelsea assistant manager Henk Ten Cate was sacked on Thursday as the Dutchman became the latest victim of the Premier League club's close-season clear-out.

Ten Cate arrived at Stamford Bridge in October to work alongside manager Avram Grant and first-team coach Steve Clarke.

But Grant was dismissed by Blues owner Roman Abramovich last weekend in the aftermath of Chelsea's Champions League final defeat against Manchester United and now Ten Cate – whose abrasive style upset several of the players – has been removed to make way for the new manager's backroom staff.

Chelsea, who confirmed Ten Cate's exit in a statement on their website, have been linked with Roberto Mancini, Carlo Ancelotti, Mark Hughes, Guus Hiddink and Luiz Felipe Scolari as they search for Grant's successor.

They also made desperate efforts to persuade Jurgen Klinsmann to renege on his contract with Bayern Munich ealier in the week but were rebuffed immediately by the former German national coach.

“Chelsea Football Club can confirm that it has terminated Henk Ten Cate's contract. This follows a meeting on Thursday morning,” the statement read.

“As a result of the team management changes at Chelsea FC and in light of any forthcoming appointment it was clear this was the correct decision for all parties.

“Everybody at Chelsea would like to thank Henk for his contribution since coming to the club last year.”