Lekr0 set to join North as Kjaerbye replacement, report says

By Nick Johnson

|

Aug 17, 2020

Reading time: 2 min

Jonas “Lekr0” Olofsson is set to join the North esports organization, according to reports.

A report places Lekro in the North lineup with an official announcement coming in the following days, according to HLTV.com. Lekro’s move to North comes just a week after former North star Markus “Kjaerbye” Kjærbye announced that he would join FaZe Clan’s international lineup.

Blog post image

Lekr0 has sat the Ninjas in Pyjamas bench since May of 2020 when NiP signed up-and-comer Hampus “hampus” Poser to its roster, sending Lekr0 to the bench. The player was rumored to be fielding offers from FLASHPOINT 1 champions MAD Lions in addition to North, but Lekr0 reportedly declined MAD Lion’s offer. It was originally reported that while North was interested in Lekr0, but NiP’s asking price at the time was too high for the organization. 

North to acquire Lekr0 from NiP

It seems as though North has changed its tune, sitting one place out of contention for the upcoming ESL One Major in twelfth place. Should the move go through, Lekr0 will replace Kjaerbye’s current stand-in, Kristoffer “⁠Kristou⁠” Aamand, as one of the team’s main riflers under in-game leader Mathias “⁠MSL⁠” Lauridsen. It would be a switch from captain to follower for Lekr0, who previously held the in-game leader position on the NiP roster for almost two years prior to his benching in May.

Lekr0 holds a 1.1 rating over the past six months, beating player averages in damage per round, kills per round, and kill involvement. While Lekr0 has only played a total of three maps over the past three months, his 2020 statistics beat his all-time average by slight margins. Fans will have to wait and see if North’s new rifler can compete at Kjaerbye’s level and whether or not the move from IGL to rifler gives the 27-year-old a boost to his play as is normal when players move from the calling role into that of a rifler.

The report suggests that Lekr0 will play in the upcoming Nine to Five Cup 3 with North, slated to start on August 17.