Fnatic has parted ways with head coach Joey “YoungBuck” Steltenpool, who had overseen the team since 2018.
Fnatic is looking to enter 2020 with new coaching staff. The organization released coach YoungBuck, who led the team to the World Championship final in 2018. The change comes after an underwhelming result at the World Championship where Fnatic was knocked out in the quarterfinals despite high expectations.
“This year, we still feel how painfully short we fell in two LEC splits before losing to FunPlus Phoenix at Worlds. We were obviously looking to create similar success in 2019, but we found ourselves quickly swamped by internal issues in Spring that we could not overcome as players and coaching staff by the year’s culmination,” wrote YoungBuck on a statement shared by Fnatic.
Fnatic has been open about internal issues. In episode two of Legends in Action, YoungBuck and the players addressed the general discontent. According to the video, the players were constantly blaming each other for the mistakes in-game and didn’t take responsibility for their own shortcomings.
The hostile environment might be the reason behind YoungBuck’s departure. Rumors indicate that the head coach is not the only change for the team. According to different sources, the team is looking to renovate its roster and facilitate the transfer of at least some of its current players. Jungler Mads “Broxah” Brock-Pedersen is one of the possible transfers in the off-season.
The rumors place him in North America where organizations like Team SoloMid, who are actively looking for a jungler. North America is a region where European junglers and mid laners thrive, and the best example is the Danish trio of Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen, Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen, and Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg.
Martin “Rekkles” Larsson has also been rumored for a transfer, with Cloud9 being a potential destination as C9 debates its own roster’s future.
YoungBuck is also rumored to be joining the LCS, although the possible team is unclear at the moment. All roster changes will be confirmed after November 18 when free agency opens.
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