Jerry Quy, who played the Gunnersaurus team mascot for 27 years, was one of 55 staff who were told they had lost their jobs, according to The Athletic Le club acted as it faced severe revenue losses amid the coronavirus pandemic
“There will be fans in their 30s and 40s who grew up with this dinosaur,” Gunners legend Paul Merson told Sky Sports “It’s disappointing, I think it’s poor by Arsenal, I really do it «
« I was so sad that Jerry Quy aka our famous loyal & mascot @Gunnersaurus and an integral part of our club was fired after 27 years, » Özil tweeted Tuesday
« As such, I offer to reimburse @Arsenal with our big green guy’s full salary as long as I am an Arsenal player, » he wrote
An Arsenal spokesperson declined to say whether the team would accept Özil’s offer, saying the team did not comment on personnel issues, according to the New York Times
« Gunnersaurus is not extinct and will return to action when fans are allowed to return to games, » the spokesperson added
Fans have also created an online fundraiser in an attempt to save the mascot He has so far received over £ 11,500 which equates to over $ 14,800
Despite being one of the team’s highest paid players, Özil has not played a game since resuming the Premier League in June
Some Arsenal players and the head coach have already taken a 125% pay cut in April to help keep employed staff Özil, who earns £ 350,000 a week, was the only player to say publicly that he had not suffered a cut, according to The Athletic
« The pandemic represents one of the most difficult periods in our 134-year history, » reads an August statement signed by the club management. « We know this is upsetting and difficult for our dedicated staff and our aim is to handle this with the greatest sensitivity possible »
Arsenal FC, Mesut Özil
World news – GB – Arsenal player offers to pay Gunnersaurus salary after mascot dismissal
