Arsenal presents Arteta’s contract in a 140-year-old chest

Arsenal presented manager Mikel Arteta’s contract in a 140-year-old wooden chest, connecting the presentation to the club’s beginnings in 1886. Chief executive Richard Garlick handed the document to Arteta inside the antique chest, which unfolds into a small writing desk.

The object recalls a celebration held on 4 October 1886 by the cricket club Dial Square. Its members included workers from the Royal Arsenal complex in Woolwich, which was devoted to weapons manufacturing. David Danskin, Arsenal’s first captain, attended the gathering. The decision to add a football section to the cricket club marked the start of the club’s history. Arsenal says the chest has been preserved as a piece of heritage and a witness to those beginnings.

Garlick described the presentation as « a link between the past, the present and the future », stressing the importance of preserving Arsenal’s values and traditions. The club’s story soon took shape on the pitch: Watkins organised Arsenal’s first match, against Eastern Wanderers, on 11 December 1886, and the team won 6-0.

The presentation accompanies the announcement that Mikel Arteta’s contract has been extended until June 2030. Last season, he led the team to the Premier League title.