Santos have not received bid from Barca for Neymar

Santos president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira Ribeiro has rubbished fresh reports in Spain that Neymar has agreed a deal to join Barcelona.

Neymar is constantly linked with a move to Spain with both Barcelona and Real Madrid manoeuvring for his signature.



The 20-year-old is widely regarded as the best young player in the world, but he has committed his future to Santos with a new long-term deal he signed last year.



Neymar has long stated he will not move until after the World Cup finals which are hosted in Brazil in 2014 - but this has not stopped speculation, with the most recent reports claiming he had already agreed a deal with Barca.



But Ribeiro insists not such deal is done and he told Radio Estadao ESPN: "Neymar is happy, he is playing well and more importantly, he is paid very well. Let's see if he stays [after 2014].



When asked about having kept contacts with both Barcelona and Real Madrid, Ribeiro said: "That means nothing, there is nothing denied yet and we will fight to keep Neymar.



"People have to convince themselves that Neymar will stay and that will happen for an obvious reason: if he stays until the end of his contract, any money involved in an eventual negotiation will be Neymar's. If Santos sell him before that, Santos will get that money.



"Santos don't need to sell players. Our cash flow doesn't include money from selling players. Santos are a club and as such have the objective of winning titles. And Neymar is the player that gives us more chances of achieving that."



Ribeiro insists his club are as well off as any club in Europe.



"This is another aspect that isn't being taken into account.



"The economic situation of the European clubs is bad, they don't have money.



"If it wasn't for the Russians and Arabs, their situation would be even worse. Only the German clubs have a stable situation."

Sahin fired his first goals for Reds

Nuri Sahin fired his first goals for Liverpool as they scored a morale-boosting 2-1 win over West Brom at the Hawthorns.

A blunder from Reds goalkeeper Brad Jones gifted Gabriel Tamas a third-minute opener, but the Capital One Cup holders were level at the break after Ben Foster failed to stop Sahin's 30-yard strike.

Turkish international Sahin impressed around the middle of the park and he popped up for the winner eight minutes from time, converting Oussama Assaidi's low cross to grab a deserved victory.

West Brom were 3-0 winners when the teams met on the opening day of the season and they were gifted a dream start after a clanger from Jones.

The Reds goalkeeper spilled a Liam Ridgewell free-kick into the path of the grateful Tamas, who poked home his third goal for the club.

Sahin levelled matters on 17 minutes when his ambitious effort squeezed past Foster and into the net.

Liverpool grew in confidence after levelling, but they were forced to withstand a late West Brom barrage, with Graham Dorrans and Romelu Lukaku both going close.

Foster was fortunate to see Samed Yesil's fierce shot come off his leg and bounce over the bar, while Dani Pacheco and Jordan Henderson both hit the woodwork.

Jerome Sinclair became Liverpool's youngest ever player at 16 years and six days when he was introduced as an 81st minute substitute.

Then a minute later Sahin won it for the visitors when he found space at the far post to convert Assaidi's cross.

Highlights: West Brom Vs. Liverpool

Croatian side gets female touch

A former Croatia Miss Sport finalist and footballer Tihana Nemcic became the first woman to be appointed coach of a men’s club on Tuesday, local media reported.



The 24-year-old Nemcic will coach Croatian fifth division side NK Viktorija Vojakovac.



“I am the head coach and I have full liberty to create and plan the team’s tactics,” she told daily 24 sata (24 hours).



“The guys know the game, but there is a lot more to do,” added Nemcic, who has played for ten years for Dinamo Zagreb’s women’s team and the national squad.



Nemcic said that there was no reason why eyebrows should be raised in her getting the job.

“If a woman and a man have the same professional qualifications for a coaching job, I see no reason why I should not get into male football,” she said.



In 2008, Nemcic, a long-haired blonde, was among 15 finalists for Croatia’s Miss Sport. She said her players “listen to me and make no problems.”



“We are a great team and we all want to improve and reach the top of our league,” she said.

Carling cup - squad sheets

Man Utd v Newcastle 19:45



Manchester United: De Gea, Lindegaard, Johnstone, Rafael, Evans, Keane, Vidic, Buttner, Valencia, Anderson, Nani, Carrick, Cleverley, Fletcher, Powell, Cole, Lingard, Vermijl, Tunnicliffe, Hernandez, Welbeck, Macheda, King.



Newcastle: Harper, Elliot, Tavernier, Ferguson, Perch, S. Taylor, Coloccini, Williamson, Santon, Tiote, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Ben Arfa, Anita, Bigirimana, Gosling, Marveaux, Obertan, Vuckic, Abeid, Amalfitano, Sammy Ameobi, Ba, Cisse, Shola Ameobi, Campbell.



Arsenal v Coventry 19:45



Arsenal: Shea, Giroud, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Santos, Arshavin, Djourou, Coquelin, Bellerin, Olsson, Gnabry, Yennaris, Eastmond, Mannone, Sanchez Watt, Eisfeld, Jenkinson, Frimpong.



QPR v Reading 19:45



QPR: Green, Cesar, Onuoha, Hill, Nelsen, Mbia, Diakite, Derry, Park, Granero, Dyer, Taarabt, Hoilett, Faurlin, Wright-Phillips, Ephraim, Mackie, Zamora, Cisse.



Reading: McCarthy, Taylor, Gunter, Cummings, Gorkss, Pearce, Mariappa, Shorey, Harte, McAnuff, Guthrie, Leigertwood, Tabb, McCleary, Kebe, Pogrebnyak, Le Fondre, Hunt, Robson-Kanu, Church.



Carlisle v Tottenham 19:45



Tottenham: Lloris, Friedel, Gomes, Cudicini, Smith, Gallas, Dawson, Walker, Vertonghen, Caulker, Falque, Huddlestone, Mason, Bale, Lennon, Sandro, Jenas, Dembele, Dempsey, Sigurdsson, Carroll, Townsend, Defoe, Obika.



Norwich v Doncaster 19:45



Norwich: Bunn, Rudd, Tettey, Butterfield, Kane, E Bennett, Murphy, Ward, Turner, Tierney, R Bennett, Francomb, C Martin, Lappin, Fox, Jackson, Holt, Johnson.



West Brom v Liverpool 20:00



West Brom: Foster, Myhill, Jones, Jara-Reyes, Dawson, Tamas, Hurst, Olsson, McAuley, Ridgewell, Thorne, El Ghanassy, Allan, Dorrans, Yacob, Mulumbu, Morrison, Brunt, Gera, Fortune, Long, Rosenberg, Lukaku, Berahino.



Liverpool : Jones, Wisdom, Carragher, Coates, Wilson, Enrique, Shelvey, Sahin, Henderson, Downing, Yesil, Morgan, Gulacsi, Robinson, Coady, Suso, Sterling, Pacheco, Assaidi, Johnson, Skrtel, Allen, Gerrard, Suarez, Sterling.

Song couldn't resist Barca chance

For Alex Song the chance to join Barcelona was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he could not afford to turn down.

The Cameroon international moved to the Nou Camp from Arsenal last month in a £15million deal after seven years with the north London club.



The 25-year-old followed a well-trodden path with Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Thierry Henry, Alexander Hleb and Cesc Fabregas all having made the switch to Barca during Arsene Wenger's tenure.



Song admitted Wenger had been a source of great help to him when he arrived at Arsenal as a teenager but there was no way he could spurn such an opportunity.



He told El Mundo Deportivo: "It was in July. Barca spoke with Arsenal and Arsene Wenger came to tell me. It was hard to convince him and also say goodbye because he really helped me and my family when I arrived at Arsenal at 17 years old.



"When a club like Barcelona want you you can't say no. A chance like this only happens once in life and you must take it."



Failing to win any trophies in England has served to increase his appetite for success.



He said: "I'm hungry. I've never won anything and I have come here to play many games and win it all."



In little over a week, and if selected, Song will face Cristiano Ronaldo when Barca meet Real Madrid on October 7.



Tito Vilanova's side will be without Carles Puyol, out with a knee injury, while Gerard Pique has a sprained ankle.



Such a prospect does not in any way concern Song.



"Clearly, with Puyol and Pique we are stronger but I am ready and I've played against Cristiano in the Premier League.



"I have not just started playing today. I've played over 200 games at Arsenal and I have nothing to be worried about.



"I am not just thinking about stopping Cristiano. What is important is to play and do the job. That is why I have come."

Terry case enters a third day

John Terry's disciplinary hearing entered a third day on Wednesday as the Chelsea captain contested allegations he racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.



Terry returned to the Football Association's Wembley headquarters after leading Chelsea to a 6-0 hammering of Wolves in the Capital One Cup third round.



He was facing the charge of using racist language to Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League game at Loftus Road last October.



The 31-year-old arrived early in the morning to hear evidence in his defence with the case likely to last all week.



A similar hearing involving Liverpool's Luis Suarez last December took four days - and Terry could face a lengthy ban if found guilty of the charge of using racist language, a charge he categorically denies.



The former England captain, who announced his international retirement on the eve of the hearing, is being represented by George Carter-Stephenson QC, who defended him against a similar charge in court two months ago.



Terry was found not guilty in July when he insisted he had only been repeating words he thought Ferdinand had accused him of saying.

The top stories from papers and websites - 26 September 2012

• Chelsea are plotting a £45million swoop for Colombian superstar Falcao.


• Thomas Hitzlsperger is training with Everton with a view to earning a Premier League return.


• Barcelona are set to reward Xavi with a new deal.


• Roberto Mancini last night launched a blisetring attack on Paul Lambert, blasting: "I'm tired of this manager."


• Ashley Cole is ready to share an England dressing room with Rio Ferdinand.


• Blackburn have refused to assure Steve Kean about his future - despite appearing to hand him a stay of execution.


• Ipswich are standing by under-fire boss Paul Jewell.


• Sammy Lee is on Bury's radar for their vacant manager's job.


• Huddersfield want to make James Vaughan's loan deal permanent.

• Steve Kean is losing his power battle with Shebby Singh at Blackburn.


• Mark Noble has signed a new three-year contract at West Ham.


• Former Portuguese international Ricardo Rocha is having trials with Ipswich.


• Crazy gang legend Dave Bassett is helping AFC Wimbledon search for a new manager after Terry Brown's sacking.


• Brendan Rodgers wants Jamie Carragher to help bring through the next generation of Liverpool stars.

• Blackburn boss Steve Kean has just three games to save his job.


• Roy Hodgson has admitted England must change the way they play to have any chance of winning a major trophy.


• Steven Caulker has been tipped to take over from John Terry as the rock of the England back four.


• Birmingham have signed former West Brom left-back Paul Robinson on a month-long contract.


• Ipswich chief executive Simon Clegg has backed under-fire boss Paul Jewell and dismissed speculation linking Harry Redknapp with the job.

• Roy Hodgson remains reluctant to recall Rio Ferdinand to the England squad despite John Terry's international retirement.


• Arsenal plan to give Jack Wilshere his first taste of competitive football in more than a year on Monday.


• Colchester have signed Arsenal's Craig Eastmond on loan.


• Injury-hit Birmingham City have signed former West Brom defender Paul Robinson. The 33-year-old defender has put pen-to-paper on a one-month deal after a successful trial.

• Roy Hodgson has called on England to be more ruthless in pursuit of success.

• Manchester United were plunged into a deepening defensive crisis yesterday when Nemanja Vidic was ruled out for two months after undergoing a knee operation.

• John Terry made what could be his final appearance for some time as he captained Chelsea in their comprehensive Capital One Cup victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

• Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal could be set to fight it out for Russia captain Igor Denisov after he was slung into Zenit St Petersburg's youth team for criticising the club's transfer policy.


• Manchester City will have no chance of signing Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos after he patched up his row with Jose Mourinho.

• Arsenal midfielder Craig Eastmond is set to join Colchester on loan.