Team Vitality: Jopa Puts Contract Offer on Hold Amid Naak Nako Buyout Talks and Carzzy Exit
Team Vitality's ambitious roster overhaul ahead of the 2027 LEC season has hit an early roadblock in the bot lane. After the French organization extended an official contract offer to its former academy standout, Croatian AD Carry Josip "Jopa" Čančar, to succeed Matyáš "Carzzy" Orság, the 20-year-old marksman has opted to put the proposal on hold while exploring other opportunities across the European market.
A Homecoming Put on Pause by Jopa
On paper, a reunion between Team Vitality and Josip "Jopa" Čančar looked like a natural progression. Having developed under the Vitality.Bee banner in the LFL from late 2023 through 2025, where he reached the EMEA Masters Summer 2024 grand finals and lifted the Coupe de France trophy, the Croatian bot laner earned his promotion to Europe's top flight in 2026 as the starting AD Carry for SK Gaming.
With Matyáš "Carzzy" Orság seeing his contract expire this November and actively testing free agency for 2027, Vitality moved quickly to bring its former prodigy back into the fold as the centerpiece of its LEC bot lane. Instead of immediately locking in a return to the Hive, however, Jopa has decided to pause talks and weigh competing offers before committing his future.
Uncertainty Around Naak Nako and Lyncas Casts Doubt on Vitality's Core
Jopa's hesitation is closely tied to the sweeping changes currently reshaping Team Vitality's League of Legends division. Following disappointing playoff exits in 2026, the club handed the keys of its coaching staff to Wadi "Wadi" Benarbia (Head Coach) and Rehareha "Reha" Ramanana (Strategic Coach), the duo famed for guiding Karmine Corp to the 2025 LEC Winter Split trophy.
Yet while the coaching foundation is set, the actual five-man lineup that will take the Summoner's Rift in 2027 remains up in the air:
- The €350,000 Naak Nako Question: Despite winning the 2026 LEC Spring Split regular-season MVP award and remaining under contract until November 2027, Turkish top laner Kaan "Naak Nako" Okan has drawn heavy interest from G2 Esports, Movistar KOI, and NAVI. Team Vitality has opened the door to negotiations, setting an initial buyout valuation at €350,000.
- Jungle Departure Looming: As detailed in our full breakdown of G2 Esports' agreement with Lyncas to replace SkewMond, Lithuanian jungler Linas "Lyncas" Nauncikas is poised to leave Vitality to join G2 for the upcoming season.
- Topside Reconfiguration: With both top and jungle spots in flux alongside potential changes around support Kadir "Fleshy" Kemiksiz and the mid lane, prospective signings still lack clarity on the final competitiveness of the roster.
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A High-Stakes Game of Musical Chairs in the LEC Bot Lane
By keeping his options open, Jopa retains valuable leverage in a volatile offseason market for AD Carries. Several LEC organizations are actively reassessing their bot lane pairings, and the ripple effects caused by Carzzy exploring free agency have opened multiple starting spots across Europe.
For Wadi and Reha, the coming days will prove decisive: either clarify Naak Nako's status quickly to reassure top free-agent targets about the team's ceiling, or pivot to alternative bot lane candidates before the LEC stove league doors slam shut.
My Take
You really cannot blame Jopa for hitting the brakes here. At 20 years old, coming off his rookie LEC campaign with SK Gaming, his second year in the tier-one circuit will define his trajectory as a starting carry in Europe. Signing blind with Team Vitality while the organization considers cashing in a €350,000 buyout for its best player, Naak Nako, and losing Lyncas to G2 Esports would be a massive gamble. Bringing in Wadi and Reha to run the coaching staff is a smart move on paper, but until Vitality proves it can field a genuinely competitive topside for 2027, Jopa is making the right call by keeping every door open.
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SEO consultant for over 20 years and digital entrepreneur, Charles "Grimtag" is the founder of Pro-Gamer.gg, Retrocharting.com, and Gamescharting.com. A competitive gamer, streamer, and retro game collector, he has worked in the video game industry for over 15 years, notably as a consultant for leading game price comparison platforms. Passionate about real-time performance data and gaming technology, he analyzes competitive esports, gaming hardware benchmarks, and creator workflows on Pro-Gamer.gg with an authentic player perspective.
