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Published: November 6, 2023

Written by: Stefan Velikov

  • The organization cleared up rumors that have been circling the CS2 pro
  • Allegedly, the Saudi team Falcons had their eyes on the top-20 player
  • G2’s manager said the org is eager to see “what successes the near future holds for us”

In a last-minute turn of events, 26-year-old Bosnian rifler Nikola “⁠NiKo⁠” Kovač decided to stay on G2 Esports’ main lineup.

NiKo Stays With G2

Player transfers are a natural part of every esport out there. They are most often discussed at length between organizations and prepared in advance before all of the needed papers are signed. However, the player ultimately has the last word, which can sometimes lead to an alleged transfer falling out.

This is what seems to have happened with Nikola “⁠NiKo⁠” Kovač, as the player has decided, somewhat last-minute, to stay with his current team of G2 Esports. The 26-year-old rifler was supposed to be transferred to Falcons, according to an hltv report from November 2, which suggested that a deal has already been signed.

Falcons had hoped to sign NiKo and make him the cornerstone of their team as they look to rebuild their roster with world-class talent. Considering NiKo is one of the best CS2 players in the world, he certainly fits Falcons’ criteria. It would not be surprising to soon see the Bosnian of the Top-earning Counter-Strike players ever.

After appointing Danny “⁠zonic⁠” Sørensen as head coach, the Saudi organization has reportedly already reached agreements with Emil “⁠Magisk⁠” Reif and Marco “⁠Snappi⁠” Pfeiffer, although the signing of the two players has not been confirmed at the time of writing of this article.

G2 General Manager Petar “⁠peca⁠” Marković said that he is happy that this puts an end to all the rumors and speculations surrounding NiKo. “As previously mentioned, we are of the firm opinion that he plays an incredibly unique role in our team that would be hard to replace, and we’re thrilled to announce that we’ve reached an agreement for him to remain with our team,” peca said. “Retaining the key player that helped us to clinch victories at two prestigious tournaments in 2023, we are eager to discover what successes the near future holds for us.”

The news of NiKo’s decision to stay with G2 was served by the organization in a funny video on Twitter that initially looked like a farewell message. However, a few seconds in, the video cut to NiKo himself who smirked and posed the rhetorical question “You guys know I’m not leaving, right?”.

Despite NiKo deciding to remain on G2’s roster, many still wonder if there will be other potential transfers. Peca has said that the org will not entertain offers for Ilya “⁠m0NESY⁠” Osipov, who was also rumored to be high on Falcons’ wishlist. G2 have one more event to attend this year, which is the BLAST Premier World Final, where they will have to defend the champions’ title they’ve won in 2022.

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CS:GO G2 Esports
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Stefan Velikov

Stefan is a well-versed gamer who loves every aspect of gaming - including its most competitive nature. He is bringing you the latest updates from the world of esports as he painstakingly tracks dozens of competitions. 

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1
Live odds: CS:GO

01:15 AM

Home

Away

Nou
Par
1.47
2.54

06:00 AM

Home

Away

Pur
Nig
2.46
1.48

09:00 AM

Home

Away

NOM
Sas
1.98
1.73

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