G2 Esports may be bidding to take NiKo from FaZe Clan

Fariha Bhatti Published 19/09/2020

G2 is reportedly bidding to acquire Nikola “NiKo” Kovač for their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive lineup. The Spanish esports organization is already in talks with FaZe Clan to sign Niko in, according to a report by HLTV and 1pvr.

NiKo has recently been under fire due to his team’s subpar performance in his leadership. The Bosnian veteran’s individual rating also coincided with a drop off in his team’s performance as soon as he assumed the position of in-game leader.

G2’s offer comes at a crucial time which could be an ideal opportunity for NiKo if he decides to take a new route. The Spanish organization has already approached the 23 year old veteran to join their active CSGO lineup, according to 1pvr. Neither the organizations nor NiKo have yet confirmed the news.

The Bosnian CSGO stalwart is going through a rough patch as of recent due to FaZe’s poor state as a team. NiKo’s twitter rants have also become more frequent as the lineup under his leadership is failing to deliver despite a series of changes. Critics have been blaming NiKo for the downfall of FaZe, while the team has been out of sorts ever since Karrigan left the active roster in 2018.

G2 considering potential changes as FaZe struggles under NiKo

Conversely, G2 has enjoyed a stable position for a long time and continues to occupy a spot in the top 10 world rankings. However, the team is currently slumping as their recent results in ESL Pro League tell a different tale. The quintet was kicked out of the league during playoffs after losing to low tier teams such as X-Kom AGO.

It seems like G2 is on its way to revamp and reconstruct to come back stronger. Keeping the condition of both G2 and FaZe in view, NiKo’s arrival in G2 may benefit all parties involved. NiKo, who doesn’t enjoy being an IGL, will again get a chance to play under a proficient IGL in Nemanja “nexa” Isaković and G2 will finally get a sharp entry fragger.

This transfer would bring the Kovac brothers under the same umbrella as NiKo’s cousin Nemanja “huNter–” Kovač is already an esteemed rifler at G2. There’s no concrete information about who NiKo would be replacing in G2. Sources say that François “AmaNEk” Delaunay will be vacating his slot for the newcomer in G2.

FaZe acquired NiKo from mousesports in 2017 in exchange for a hefty transfer fee of $500,000, which means that this deal between G2 and FaZe will mark possibly the biggest signing in CSGO history. The deal may materialize in the coming weeks.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

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