Sevilla announce shock capture of Gunnersaurus... just hours after he was sacked by Arsenal

Gunnersaurus' services didn't go unwanted for long, with Sevilla making a late deadline day swoop for the ex-Arsenal mascot.

While Arsenal scrambled to secure Thomas Partey, Sevilla announced their intentions for the summer window's final day by tweeting a picture of Gunnersaurus in response to a post asking: 'Which player would you like your club to sign today?'

The Europa League champions had spotted the news that broke football Twitter on Monday, revealing the Gunners had sacked Jerry Quy, the man who underneath the giant green suit for 27 years.

Several hours of intense negotiations later and with little time to spare, Sevilla got their dinosaur - returning to Twitter to share a shot of Gunnersaurus dressed in a Sevilla shirt and cap.

'Take good care of him, club legend in your hands', Gunners fan @afcKingKieran responded.

Gunnersaurus' axing has been blamed on the coronavirus crisis leaving Arsenal's finances in tatters, with Quy's part-time role no longer required alongside 55 other redundancies at the Emirates.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's new £250,000-a-week deal and outcast Mesut Ozil's £350,000 salary spring to mind in response, with Paul Merson joking on SkySports: 'I did know he was the highest paid mascot in the country on about £80,000-a-week.'

The Gunners legend added: 'There will be 40-year-old fans who have grown up with that dinosaur. It's poor by Arsenal.'

Although Arsenal insisted the mascot will return - somewhat undermining Sevilla's claims - football responded with both sympathy and outrage.

Chelsea put aside their bitter rivalry to 'send hugs' from Blues mascots Stamford and Bridget, while Piers Morgan looked to take action.

'You’re going nowhere ⁦@Gunnersaurus,' Morgan tweeted.

'I refuse to let @Arsenal⁩ sack you. Come on ⁦@m8arteta @Aubameyang7 - this is not what our club is about. #savegunnersaurus.'