Report: EliGE's move to EG in danger of collapse
Earlier this week, it was reported that Evil Geniuses were targeting Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski as part of their roster overhaul following EliGE's departure from Liquid. Talks had even progressed to the point that EliGE turned down an offer from Complexity in favor of EG's potential contract.
EliGE's impending departure from Liquid is a result of the additions of Aleks "Rainwaker" Petrov and Robert "Patsi" Isyanov, with the latter being the direct replacement. The organization seeks a full-time European core to live and compete in that region.
Evil Geniuses are well on their way to completely shuffling their roster ahead of the second half of 2023, potentially acquiring the services of Aleksandr "zorte" Zagodyrenko, Audric "JACKZ" Jug, or even Denis "electroNic" Sharipov as the organization also shifts their focus away from North America and towards a European core.
However, as the off-season progresses and BLAST's roster lock looms, Dust2.us now has information that the talks between Liquid and Evil Geniuses have stalled with the move in peril. Dust2.us reached out to Evil Geniuses earlier today to understand more about the potential collapse and was told that there was "still a lot up in the air".
It is known that Evil Geniuses are still formulating their roster plans and EliGE could fit into it. However, sources say that those roster plans have changed as of the current moment. For EliGE, now the experienced rifler is evaluating his options as he looks to see what his next move will be.
This move has a number of ramifications for the player. The relationship between Liquid and EliGE has not soured, but Liquid were already planning for a second season without him. While the Patsi move may not have been completed as of yet, integrating EliGE back into the fold is not being conveyed as a priority at this time.
Additionally, Complexity could once again enter the race for EliGE with their previously turned-down offer now looking somewhat more desirable. While it's unknown if Complexity are in a position to rush through the transfer in the next several hours, it is entirely possible that we see the rifler join up with some of North America's youngest prospects.
Finally there is a chance that EliGE may not immediately find a new home post player break. With there not being a clear road anywhere for the player, we could see him staying on the bench for a few months as teams close out the CS:GO season and anticipate the arrival of Counter-Strike 2.
