Former Arsenal chairman Sir Chips Keswick dies aged 84 as club pay tribute

Former Arsenal chairman Sir Chips Keswick has died aged 84, a statement from the Gunners has confirmed.

Keswick, who was a merchant banker, became a director for the club in 2005 before rising to chairman in 2013. Although he retired from his position in May 2020, he kept a close eye on the club's fortunes from a distance.

Announcing the news, Arsenal said: «It is with great sadness that the club reports the death of former Chairman, Sir Chips Keswick. A lifelong Arsenal supporter, he was a regular at Highbury after first standing in the boys' enclosure in 1949 and listed his early heroes as the Compton brothers and Jimmy Logie but, above all, goalkeeper and later manager George Swindin, as young Chips was a budding schoolboy keeper himself.

»But it was in the banking industry Sir Chips made his name, where he was a very senior figure for many years, rising to become Chairman of Hambros Bank and also a Director of the Bank of England. It was during his successful banking career that he became good friends with our former Chairman, Peter Hill-Wood a former Vice-Chairman of Hambros and Peter recognised that his business acumen, common sense and love of the Gunners would make him an ideal board member at Highbury.

«He joined the board, along with Lord Harris, on November 24, 2005, and proved himself to be a clear-thinking, popular and influential presence in the boardroom, and when Peter Hill-Wood stepped down as Chairman in June 2013, Sir Chips was the natural choice to take up the prestigious position.

»Sir Chips very much lived the values of Arsenal Football Club and guided the club expertly for the subsequent seven seasons, stepping down in May 2020, shortly after he had celebrated his 80th birthday. During his time as