Chelsea dismissed Henk ten Cate, the assistant first-team coach, yesterday as their search for a new manager continues. The Dutchman had been at Stamford Bridge only since October, when he arrived as an assistant to Avram Grant, who was dismissed on Saturday, but his methods and character did not go down well with some members of the squad.

Ten Cate claimed this week that he hoped to stay on at the club after speaking by telephone to Peter Kenyon, the chief executive, but Chelsea have now left the way clear for the new manager to choose his own backroom staff. Unsubstantiated reports in Italy have claimed that Chelsea have made an offer to Carlo Ancelotti, the AC Milan coach, but Luiz Felipe Scolari, the Portugal coach, has also been strongly linked with the post.

Ten Cate was due to meet Kenyon on Wednesday but missed the appointment after returning home late from a holiday. He was dismissed after a meeting yesterday. “Chelsea Football Club can confirm that it terminated Henk ten Cate’s contract,” the club said in a statement yesterday. “This follows a meeting this morning.

“As a result of the team management changes at Chelsea FC, and in the 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.”

The upheaval is reminiscent of the period after the departure of José Mourinho and his Portuguese assistants in September. Ten Cate, 53, was appointed, in part, in response to a shortage of coaches. However, his perceived arrogance and plain speaking put him at loggerheads with some players. He clashed with John Terry on the eve of the Carling Cup final defeat by Tottenham Hotspur in February, with the captain leaping to the defence of John Obi Mikel, whom Ten Cate had repeatedly picked on during a training session at Stamford Bridge, leading to a shouting match that shocked several onlookers. Chelsea’s players sided with their captain.

Chelsea had to pay Ajax £800,000 in compensation for Ten Cate when he left his post as coach of the Dutch club. Ten Cate had two years left on his contract, for which he was paid about £1 million a year.

Kenyon is also expected to meet Steve Clarke, the assistant first-team coach, who has been away on holiday. The board is aware that Clarke remains very popular with the fans as the one surviving member of the era before Roman Abramovich bought the club. The Scot would like to leave and is seeking a management job at a Coca-Cola Championship club.

The off-field departures are likely to be mirrored on the pitch. Didier Drogba, the forward, wants to leave, and Chelsea face a fight to keep Frank Lampard. The midfield player went on holiday with his family yesterday and contractual negotiations may not move forward until he returns.

The 29-year-old England player has been talking to the club about a new deal for more than two years with little progress. With one year left on his contract, he could link up with Mourinho, his former manager at Stamford Bridge, who is being lined up to take over at Inter Milan.

Mourinho’s appointment is expected to be announced today after Inter agreed a severance package with Roberto Mancini. Samuel Eto’o, the Barcelona forward, has been linked with a move to Inter, with talk that Zlatan Ibrahimovic could leave the San Siro. “It is Massimo Moratti’s [the Inter owner and president] decision,” the Sweden striker said.