Arsenal's Gunnersaurus mascot gets fundraising page

Gunnersaurus is Arsenal's mascot

On transfer deadline day, it has been the big news about a mascot rather than any players, which seems to have had the most reaction from footy fans.

It has been reported that Arsenal's mascot - Gunnersaurus - has been let go, because as fans are not currently allowed in stadiums to watch games, the role is no longer seen as necessary.

Gunnersaurus has been with the club for 27 years - that's even longer than Arsene Wenger's reign as manager.

Newsround has contacted Arsenal for comment.

In August, the club announced 55 staff members would lose their jobs due to the financial pressures brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, specifically the loss of income from match day crowds, with games now being played behind closed doors.

Gunnersaurus is thought to be one of these job losses.

At the time Arsenal explained the decision saying: "Our aim has been to protect the jobs and base salaries of our people for as long as we possibly can. Unfortunately, we have now come to the point where we are proposing 55 redundancies.

"We do not make these proposals lightly and have looked at every aspect of the club and our expenditure before reaching this point.

Gunnersaurus was at Arsenal for nearly three decades

A fundraising page has now been set up for Jerry Quy, who has played the much-loved dinosaur mascot since 1993.

The page describes Gunnersaurus as "a club icon" and that it would be a "terrible shame to lose him".

It also says: "We cannot let him become extinct."

Gunnersaurus was there to support Arsenal Women too

Gunnersaurus has also had support from some big names in football.

Former footballer and BBC Sport presenter Gary Linekar posted on social media saying: "Shouldn't be necessary, but it might be a good move and an act of kindness for the Arsenal players and manager to club together and sort out this absurdity."

Spanish football club Sevilla FC also joked on social media about signing Gunnersaurus during the transfer window after fans were asked who they'd like their club to sign.

Gunnersaurus has travelled all over the world to support his team - including Singapore!

Having no fans attending games is a real challenge for football clubs because it means they are making less money from match days.

That in turn means it's harder to pay staff and some roles - which aren't seen as essential, such as mascots - are being cut.

What do you think about Gunnersaurus and other mascots? Do you enjoy seeing them at sporting events?