Henk ten Cate: A Potential Return to Ajax Coaching

Henk ten Cate has officially retired, correct? In 2023, he briefly served as an assistant coach for Suriname, but has since stepped back from the spotlight. Is he now poised to return as the head coach of Ajax?

In the Willem & Wessel podcast by VoetbalPrimeur, Willem van Hanegem expressed that the leadership in Amsterdam should reach out to Ten Cate without delay: “Please, do it now…”

Van Hanegem described the situation as “typical Dutch,” stating, “This is classic opportunism. As a football enthusiast and a Dutch coach, I was extremely frustrated with last season under Francesco Farioli. I genuinely mean this from the bottom of my heart. Farioli started with a ten-point lead, which he squandered in the last five matches. How well did he really perform then?” Ten Cate has also been critical of the quality of the squad at the Johan Cruyff Arena, remarking, “Give someone a chance! Heitinga has only just begun with the team. There is no suitable ‘6’; Davy Klaassen is forced to play there because it seems there are no better options available. Isn’t that sad?”

Ten Cate’s most notable achievements were with FC Barcelona, where, under the guidance of Frank Rijkaard, he celebrated two league titles and a Champions League victory, led by stars like Ronaldinho and a young Lionel Messi. It is noteworthy that Ten Cate previously served as Ajax’s head coach during the 2006-2007 season and a portion of the 2007-2008 season before being succeeded by Adrie Koster (in an interim capacity) and later Marco van Basten.