Henk ten Cate has been told Avram Grant's sacking will not affect his own future at Chelsea.

Grant was fired after failing to lead the Blues to either Premier League or Champions League glory and there had been speculation Dutch coach Ten Cate could also be asked to move on.

However Ten Cate, who joined Chelsea's backroom staff in October, says he has been assured that he does still have a role at Stamford Bridge.

"Half-an-hour before Chelsea made the message about Grant officially known, I was called by the chief executive Peter Kenyon," Ten Cate told Voetbal International.

"He informed me that the departure of Grant will not affect me. I'd rather go on that than all those newspaper reports.

"That appointment was long planned and therefore separate from recent developments.

"In January I had one such evaluation and then we said we would do again after the season. I have a contract until 2010."

However, the former Ajax chief does accept that Grant's replacement may want to bring his own management team with him.

Chelsea have already been linked with a number of high-profile managers but Ten Cate believes there is a chance he could be asked to succeed Grant along with fellow assistant boss Steve Clarke.

He explained: "There are three options: Whether there is a new coach who takes his own technical staff. Or Steve Clarke and I take it over. Whether there is a new trainer who keeps me involved."

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