‘Greatly missed’ – Former Arsenal chairman Sir Chips Keswick dies aged 84 as club pay tribute
Arsenal have announced the death of former club chairman Sir Chips Keswick at the age of 84.
Keswick took over as the chairman from Peter Hill-Wood in 2013, where he expertly guided the club for seven seasons.
During that time, the Gunners won four FA Cup titles.
Fittingly, his final year with the north London giants saw Mikel Arteta's side win the FA Cup - beating Chelsea 2-1 in the final in 2020.
An Arsenal statement read: "It is with great sadness that the club reports the death of former Chairman, Sir Chips Keswick."
The club added: "Sir Chips will be greatly missed by everyone at Arsenal who knew him.
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"And we extend our deepest sympathies to his wife Lady Sarah and their children David, Tobias and Adam."
Keswick, a life-long Arsenal fan, attended Highbury regularly in his youth, before making his name in the banking industry.
In 1993, he earned himself a knighthood as a resuly of his work in the banking sector.
A former Director of the Bank of England, Keswick was close friends with ex-Arsenal chairman Hill-Wood.
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He eventually joined the club's board in 2005, alongside Lord Harris, with Keswick the natural choice to replace Hill-Wood eight years later.
Following his retirement, Keswick was able to enjoy his second sport - horse racing.
As stated in Arsenal's tribute, the club said: "Retirement allowed him to spend more time with his beloved family as well as indulge in his other great sporting passion, horse racing.
"He was a respected owner of numerous racehorses over the years."
Keswick declared it was an 'honour' to serve Arsenal after he announced he would be standing down as chairman four years ago.
He remarked: "It has been an honour to be the chairman of this great football club. Arsenal has always held a special place in my life and that will remain the case in the future.
"I made my plan to retire at the end of this season clear to the board, before the global health crisis we are now experiencing.
"The club is in safe hands with Stan and Josh [Kroenke], the board and the executive team.
"I know Arsenal will emerge strongly from this situation and I look forward, like all our supporters around the world, to seeing the team in action as soon as possible.”