Ten Cate denies Ronaldinho talk
Ronaldinho has been in less than inspired form this season
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Published by Gibson Square, out November 15th, 204 pages, £12. |  |
Friday, 16, Nov 2007 05:14
New Chelsea assistant coach Henk ten Cate has denied rumours he is trying to persuade Ronaldinho to leave Barcelona for west London.
The Brazilian star worked with the Dutchman during his time as a number two to current Barca boss Frank Rijkaard.
And it is rumoured in the media that Ten Cate has been in touch with the player to try to lure him to Stamford Bridge during the January transfer window.
However he has told Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo that these rumours are "a big lie… [and] totally false" and were simply being made up to unsettle the talented forward.
"They [invent these things] just to hurt Ronaldinho and I know what I am talking about with the situation because I lived in Barcelona for three years," he told the paper.
"I do not understand this lack of respect for a player who has changed the history of the club, it seems that everyone has forgotten what this guy has achieved."
Despite being regarded as one of the world's premier footballers for the last two or three seasons, many in Catalonia believe Ronaldinho has lost some of his old spark and is being carried by the rest of the team.
But Ten Cate said regardless of the reasons behind the rumours, he was keen not to let them stir up trouble between him and the fans who had so much respect for him during his days at the Nou Camp.
"The people of Barcelona have to know that I respect the club very much and I would never do something like that, trying to remove its best player," he continued.
"It also creates problems at Chelsea… because what comes out in Spain rebounds to England and it goes on and on."
The Blues have long been linked with Ronaldinho because team owner Roman Abramovich is a known admirer of the playmaker and believes he would link up well with another big-money signing of his, Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko.