Body Language Expert Challenges Arsene Wenger's David Luiz, Thomas Lemar Denial

A body language expert believes Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger may not have been telling the truth when he dismissed speculation linking the club with David Luiz and Thomas Lemar. 

Wenger was recently quizzed on the pair during a press conference and denied both out of hand, per Goal UK:

According to Jack Wilson of the Express, body language expert Darren Stanton assessed Wenger's response and believes he was angry at the question, while his eye contact with the journalist who asked it showed "a sign of dominance."

Stanton continued:

"When he is asked about Lemar, he moves his eyes down to the left which in body language are called eye-accessing cues, giving a clue as to how he is processing the question. 

"The whole process only lasts a second, but he runs what's called internal dialogue. He quickly answers the question to himself, checks that's a reasonable response then delivers his answer. He also pieces his lips which is another sign of deception. 

"The time he takes to answer betrays what he really thinks, so I believe the opposite is true."

When asked to follow up on Luiz, "Wenger says yes but shakes his head so there is the possibility he isn't revealing the whole story."

The Gunners boss pursued Monaco winger Lemar last summer but failed to prise him away from the principality. Nevertheless, he confirmed he would make further attempts to sign him:

Meanwhile, Neil Fissler of the Express reported Arsenal were the front-runners to sign Luiz from Chelsea, with the Brazilian having fallen out of favour under manager Antonio Conte.

A return for the Frenchman Lemar would not be surprising given the uncertainty surrounding the future of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, with Wenger himself saying the club will move to bring in strong replacements if they leave, per ESPN FC's Mattias Karen: 

As for the Brazilian, he would be a bizarre target for Arsenal given his error-prone reputation.

The Gunners have need of players who can strengthen and solidify their spine, and while Luiz is talented, he's not someone who could be relied upon to shore up a defence who are already susceptible to self-destruction.

In terms of Wenger's response, it would have been something of a surprise for him to directly comment on specific targets at this stage, but with plenty of time left in the transfer window, the players are likely to be the subject of much more speculation to come.