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Arsenal‘s dinosaur mascot Gunnersaurus has been axed as part of cost-cutting measures in the club.
Jerry Quy, who has played the mascot since its introduction in 1993, worked part-time for the club and was seen as an unnecessary cost with no fans in stadiums.
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Sources have told ESPN that Quy will be allowed to return to the role when fans return to games.
Arsenal announced in August that they would make 55 redundancies across all departments. While Quy’s departure is part of ongoing cost-saving measures, the loss of his job is not counted in these 55 redundancies as he worked part-time.
Arsenal’s self-sustainable business model relies heavily on matchday income from Emirates Stadium and the ongoing absence of supporters — in addition to the cancellation of concerts and other non-football events — has hit the club particularly hard despite owner Stan Kroenke’s net worth estimated to be $8.3 billion.
Arsenal became the first Premier League team to agree a pay cut with their first-team squad — 12.5% over 12 months, although that was reduced by 7.5% after the Gunners qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup.
The club also terminated the contracts of around 10 members of their scouting network at the end of May, many of whom worked on identifying youth team and academy players.