The mid-season break continues to be wild in the LEC, as Excel Esports is reportedly looking to bring in two new players for the summer split.
It’s none other than former Astralis mid laner Erlend “Nukeduck” Holm who is reportedly making a return to the LEC, according to Dot Esports. Nukeduck stepped down from Astralis during the 2021 LEC Spring Split because of personal reasons and hasn’t played since then. Excel is seemingly also eying Misfits Gaming support Petr “Denyk” Haramach, who didn’t get to play any games in the most recent split.
Sources: @EXCEL to acquire former @MisfitsggLoL support @DenykLoL and to sign FA @Nukeduck as their starting support and midlaner for the #LEC 2021 Summer Split.
Nukeduck will return to the LEC after some months out due to “personal reasons”https://t.co/iG39aeaoLn
— Bloop #MSI2021 (@BloopGG) May 10, 2021
Picking up two new players would leave current support Tore “Tore” Eilertsen and mid laner PaweÅ‚ “Czekolad” Szczepanik without starting spots in the LEC. Tore is already rumored to join MAD Lions Madrid in the Spanish LVP league, but it’s unsure where Czekolad would end up if Nukeduck were to take his place on the team.
What’s next for Czekolad in the LEC?
Czekolad was brought in for the 2021 season as a rookie. After dominating the Polish Ultraliga and winning the 2020 European Masters Summer event with AGO ROGUE, Czekolad was a coveted acquisition in the offseason. As expected, the Polish mid-lane talent got a shot in the LEC, but it resulted in only an eighth-place finish with Excel.
Even though the result wasn’t what Excel had expected, Czekolad was nowhere near the biggest problem for Excel. Despite being a rookie, Czekolad showcased some promising games. It was also clear that a single split isn’t enough to develop such a young player.
With veteran mid laner Nukeduck potentially taking the spot on the team, fans are left wondering where Czekolad will play next split.
Nukeduck himself will be returning to the LEC after playing his last game in February. After a bad start to the year on Astralis, Nukeduck decided to take a break from professional play due to personal reasons. Nukeduck has now announced that he is ready to compete again after the much-needed break. This time it’s looking to be with Excel after Astralis signed Carl “MagiFelix” Boström to replace him.
With the 2021 LEC Summer Split starting on June 11, it’s expected that official news from Excel will come soon.
