Norskeren to join Excel Esports

According to reports by ESPN Esports, Excel Esports are in the final stages of a buyout agreement with Splyce for League of Legends support player Tore "Norskeren" Hoel Eilertsen.

The move comes after Splyce’s recent stumble to SK Telecom T1 during the League of Legends World Championship quarterfinals in Berlin in which Splyce’s strategic coach Hadrien "Duke" Forestier said Norskeren was “allowed to explore [his] options for next year.”

Before adding to Splyce’s roster at the start of the LEC season in 2019, the 20-year-old Norwegian support player has been competing in the European esports scene since 2016 and will be joining an Excel Esports team that has already made some roster changes this year with the addition of former Fnatic coach Joey "YoungBuck" Steltenpool, four-time winner of European League of Legends championships, and the release of head coach David "DLim" Lim, as well as strategic coach Alex "Bonquish" Warren.

Excel Esports ended the 2019 LEC season in last place, so they will be looking to Norskeren to help the team improve as quickly as possible.

Splyce was recently acquired by Toronto-based investment firm OverActive Media, a move that was followed by the company laying off most of the company’s founding office in Rochester, New York.

Following Norskeren’s departue, Splyce will only have one player under contract and will likely begin to rebuild its team around young talent after laner Tamás "Vizicsacsi" Kiss announced his retirement from competitive League of Legends following the expiration of his contract.

Splyce will also have to address the expiration of Andrei "Xerxe" Dragomir's and Kasper "Kobbe" Kobberup's contracts on Monday, both of which are sure to draw interest from global teams looking to improve on their success.