Beloved dinosaur mascot Gunnersaurus is no longer going to be a fixture at Arsenal games, according to The Athletic UK. The Premier League giants are making financial cuts in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and the longtime mascot is among them.
The decision comes after the club confirmed that Gunnersaurus would return back in August and wasn't going to be affected by the team's cost-cutting measures. The mascot has been a huge part of Arsenal's home games since the 1993 season. Since its inception, Jerry Quy served as Gunnersaurus and became popular within Arsenal culture. There were even Junior Gunners that imitated the Arsenal mascot
Quy worked in a part-time role for the soccer club and also lost his role of supporter liaison due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil said on Tuesday that he plans to reimburse Arsenal with the money that would've went to Quy.
I was so sad that Jerry Quy aka our famous & loyal mascot @Gunnersaurus and integral part of our club was being made redundant after 27 years. As such, I’m offering to reimburse @Arsenal with the full salary of our big green guy as long as I will be an Arsenal player... pic.twitter.com/IfWN38x62z
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) October 6, 2020
In addition to Arsenal getting rid of Gunnersaurus, the team also terminated the contracts of an estimated 10 members of their scouting department back in May. However, the team ended up spending around $70 million during the open transfer window on Monday.
Other teams across Europe (and across London) have chimed in on Twitter:
Sending hugs, @Gunnersaurus. 👊 pic.twitter.com/nMEt2x1WNg
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 5, 2020
https://t.co/kijaxwHDue pic.twitter.com/YtIG4TJbsp
— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) October 5, 2020
Despite Gunnersaurus being done away with, Gunnersaurus did remain active on social media during the coronavirus pandemic and even posted a series of "Gunnersaurs at Home" posts on social media.
In those posts, Gunnersaurus tried his hand at everyday tasks such as ironing, gardening and watching television.