Former Chelsea assistant boss ‘turns down taking the manager’s job at Ajax – because he starring in a TV crime drama instead!’
- A former Chelsea assistant reportedly turned down the chance to manage Ajax
- He supposedly turned it down in order to star in a TV crime drama instead
- Follow Mail Sport’s new Chelsea WhatsApp channel for all the breaking news
A former Chelsea assistant manager turned down the opportunity to become Ajax manager in order to star in a TV crime drama, according to reports.
The Dutch giants recently parted ways with manager Maurice Steijn after their dreadful start to the 2023-24 campaign saw them fall to the bottom of the Eredivisie.
In response, John van ‘t Schip has been appointed as the new manager on an interim basis but it appears that the Dutch side had someone else in their sights prior to that decision.
According to Dutch sports journalist Johan Derksen, former Chelsea assistant Henk ten Cate was approached but turned down the role in order to star in the show, called ‘Sleepers’.
Derksen said: ‘I heard that Henk ten Cate was approached first, because John van ‘t Schip was of course in that difficult situation with his wife.
Former Chelsea assistant Henk ten Cate (R) reportedly turned down the Ajax job in order to star in a TV crime series
Footage on Videoland showed ten Cate starring in the show ‘Sleepers’ as a chief inspector
Your browser does not support iframes.
Van ‘t Schip’s wife, Daniëlle, died last month from cancer however the 59-year-old still decided to take the role after being approached after Steijn’s departure.
‘Henk didn’t do it for a very strange reason’, Derksen continued. ‘He will play the role of chief inspector in a police series, Sleepers, for Videoland, ten episodes. That is a bit difficult to put together.’
‘I don’t think Henk was in the mood either, because Henk has seen this player material and thought: I will never come fifth with this mess,’ Derksen added.
On the Videoland website, in a trailer for Sleepers, ten Cate can be seen in a number of scenes as he takes on the role of the inspector in the series.
Ten Cate spent one season as the Chelsea assistant, working under Avram Grant, before being sacked from his role in 2008.
Just one year prior, ten Cate had been in charge of Ajax and led them to victories in the Johan Cruyff Shield in both 2006 and 2007.
Despite his successes there as a manager, he opted to leave and join Chelsea as an assistant.
Ajax find themselves bottom of the Dutch league after a woeful start to the 2023-24 season
Maurice Steijn (middle) was sacked by Ajax after a dreadful start to the season
In a statement on Monday, Dutch giants Ajax confirmed that manager Steijn had agreed to step down with immediate effect.
The statement read: ‘Ajax and Maurice Steijn will part ways with immediate effect. The club management and Steijn have agreed that the coach will step down from his position. Steijn (Den Haag, November 20, 1973) transferred from Sparta Rotterdam to Ajax this summer and signed a contract until June 30, 2026.’
Ajax Chief Executive Jan van Halst said: ‘We have worked intensely and professionally together over the last few months. But the sportive successes and the development of the team were lacking.
‘That is why we decided to sit down together again today. This time, Maurice also expressed his concerns on whether he was the right man in the right place. Together, we decided that it would be best to part ways. Hedwiges Maduro will do the honours for the coming period.’
IT’S ALL KICKING OFF!
It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.
It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.
Your browser does not support iframes.
Source: Read Full Article
