KOI's franchise player might not be re-signing after all.
Despite a verbal agreement to extend his contract beyond 2023 with KOI, mid laner Emil "Larssen" Larsson has been exploring his options on the market. The Swedish player has initiated talks with other teams amidst uncertainties over KOI's future in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC). As of now, no extension has been signed between KOI and Larssen.
This information comes from sources close to Sheep Esports. The verbal agreement with KOI was previously reported by blix.gg.
KOI, falling behind in LEC 2024 Off-Season
Following a tumultuous 2023 season for the Spanish organization, rumors of internal struggles have emerged. As the off-season unfolds, the future of the Spanish organization founded in collaboration with Ibai Llanos and Gerard Piqué is becoming uncertain.
While still early in the off-season, KOI have not yet placed any concrete offers to players on paper at the time of writing this article. Due to such, KOI's inaction is starting to push players and staff members into questioning the solidity of their positions within the organization.
Worrying signs
With questions looming over KOI's teams, players have begun assessing their options.
Many KOI players in the LVP SuperLiga have started reaching verbal agreements with other teams. For example, AD Carry Josip "Jopa" Čančar has reached a verbal agreement with Vitality.Bee recently, as reported by Sheep Esports. KOI Manager David "Saba" Sabater has also shared on a Twitter post this week his departure from the team.
Sources tell Sheep Esports that this situation also affects KOI's LEC team where many members are now facing uncertainty regarding their future with the organization.
Despite hardships, KOI still currently sees re-signing Larssen as their biggest priority and are expected to push for their franchise player to remain in their LEC squad. At this time, while the Spanish organization is interested in forming verbal agreements with players, no tangible agreements were made.
Depending on the next steps KOI take, their previous verbal agreement with Larssen to renew for 4 more years might very well fall through. As of now, Larssen is set to become a free agent this off-season.