Ozil Ofers To Pay Gunnersaurus’s Wages
German midfielder has offered a cult figure financial support after seeing him made redundant amid the coronavirus crisis
Mesut Ozil has offered to pay Gunnersaurus’s wages after seeing the mascot let go by Arsenal after 27 years of service.
Jerry Quy was relieved of his mascot duties at Emirates Stadium at the start of the week, with the club deciding that his services were no longer required in the absence of supporters.
Quy became a much-loved figure at Arsenal after donning the famous dinosaur suit in 1993, three years before the arrival of legendary manager Arsene Wenger.
Gunnersaurus was on the touchline during a golden era for the club which saw the team win three Premier League titles, but has now become the latest victim of cost-cutting measures amid the financial uncertainty of the coronavirus crisis.
Arsenal announced plans for 55 redundancies in August as they set about reducing their costs without the safety net of weekly match-day revenue from ticket sales, broadcasters and commercial companies, but invited criticism by pledging to continue investing in new players in the transfer market.
Gunners legend Paul Merson has been among those to express his disappointment after the decision to part ways with Gunnersaurus, telling Sky Sports: “Unbelievable. All them kids, the Junior Gunners, there will be 30 and 40-year-old fans who have grown up with that dinosaur.
“It’s disappointing, I think it’s poor by Arsenal, I really do.”
Ozil has now issued his own response, taking to social media to offer Gunnersaurus financial help on Tuesday.
“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,” the Arsenal midfielder wrote on Twitter.
“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.”
Ozil’s generous tribute will likely only last until the summer of 2021, which is when his current contract at the Emirates is due to expire.
The German midfielder has not seen a single minute of action for Arsenal since returning from lockdown in June, having fallen out of favour under Mikel Arteta, and is not expected to be offered a renewal.
