It was news that would have come as a bolt from the blue, not least to Mathieu Debuchy himself.
After 11 months of injuries and generally just being forgotten about, the French defender is set for a first Gunners start since playing for just 16 minutes in a 3-1 win over Bournemouth in November last year.
Having previously gone on loan to Bordeaux before that, plenty wouldn't have expected to see him in a Gunners shirt ever again, but Arsene Wenger is set to give him a start in Thursday's Europa League clash with Red Star Belgrade in Serbia.
But Debuchy - who has been an Arsenal player since the summer of 2014 - is far from the only player still hanging around at clubs long after many thought they'd gone.
And we're not talking about players away on loan spells here, by the way.
This lot turn up to training each and every day with about as much chance of a game as you or I.
Lazar Markovic - Liverpool
After a reasonably lively loan spell at Hull last season, Serbian winger Markovic - who cost Liverpool an eye-watering £20m in the summer of 2014 - seemed certain to find a new club in the summer, but alas no.
The 23-year-old hasn't played since some fleeting pre-season appearances, and isn't in the Reds' Champions League squad, with the closest he got to the pitch being when he was an unused substitute in the Carabao Cup defeat to Leicester last month.
Stephen Ireland - Stoke
This one is a sad story, and you've got to go back to May 2016 to find the last time the Irish midfielder kicked a ball in anger for Stoke.
Once the apple in Manchester City's eye when coming through the ranks there, a broken leg has dulled his powers so much that he didn't make a single appearance last season or hasn't during this one.
His Stoke contract runs out in January.
Joel Robles - Everton
When Everton spent £30m on Jordan Pickford in the summer plenty just assumed that Joel Robles, their unconvincing No. 1 from the previous season, would just leave. But obviously no-one told him.
With veteran Maarten Stekelenburg having played two Europa League games and in the Carabao Cup, Robles has been relegated from No. 1 'keeper to No. 3.
Not that anyone should be mentioning relegation around Everton at the moment...
Stuart Taylor - Southampton
You can be forgiven for forgetting that the former Arsenal reserve stopper is at St Mary's because, quite frankly, he's harder to track down than Lord Lucan having played just five matches in the last four years.
Still, there was this epic new contract signing tweet in the summer...
Baba Rahman - Chelsea
Chelsea paid a staggering amount which had the potential to rise to £20m for the Ghana international left-back Baba in the summer of 2015, but he's played just 23 times for them.
After returning from a loan spell at Schalke this summer he's back in the squad now though, even if he's nowhere near the team.
Jon Flanagan - Liverpool
We know that everyone had forgotten that full-back Flanagan was still at Liverpool because they told us last month, back when he came in for only a 10th appearance since May 2014 in the Carabao Cup loss at Leicester.
The 24-year-old was on loan at Burnley last season, but injuries ever since the 2013/14 season have derailed his career, and he doesn't look to have much longer left at Anfield.
Jordon Mutch - Crystal Palace
Yeah, you know. Jordon (with an O) Mutch!
Having bounced around the lower reaches of the Premier League for a few years, midfielder Mutch was seen as a vital part of the Crystal Palace squad up until recently, but after being completely overlooked by Frank De Boer he failed to secure a move to the Championship on deadline day, so he's still there despite zero appearances this season.
Should we tell Roy Hodgson?