Sources: Minny set to join Fnatic for 2027

The rebuild continues for Fnatic ahead of 2027, with the English organization having reached a verbal agreement with Patrik "Minny" Hušek, sources tell Sheep Esports. He is the second Czech player reported to be joining FNC, after Sheep Esports previously reported that Martin "marteen" Pátek is also expected to join the legendary European esports organization. After spending a season together at Gentle Mates in the VCT EMEA, the duo is therefore expected to reunite for another season.

According to our reporters, Minny has attracted interest from several clubs, including Barça Esports. At Fnatic, Kajetan "kaajak" Haremski and Kirill "Cloud" Nekhozhin are both under contract until 2028, while Emir "Alfajer" Beder is expected to join Gentle Mates, as previously reported by our reporters. Minny would likely replace the latter in a similar role, as he also plays the Sentinel/Flex-Duelist role. Meanwhile, the futures of Austin "crashies" Roberts and Jake "Boaster" Howlett remain uncertain, with both players open to new projects as their contracts come to an end.

As a reminder, Riot Games has planned major changes to its main circuit, the VALORANT Champions Tour, ahead of next season. These include a complete overhaul of the partner organizations across the four main leagues. In EMEA, Fnatic, like all other organizations still in contention for a partnership, is not yet guaranteed a place in the new partnership program, which will run for two seasons in 2027 and 2028. The announcement is expected to be made after Champions Shanghai.

Despite being announced as a Gentle Mates player until 2028 in a video posted on the French organization's social media accounts on June 18, the Czech player will not continue with M8 in 2027, alongside the rest of the 2026 roster. Having joined the club owned by Lucas "Squeezie" Hauchard in late 2023, Minny was the longest-serving player on the roster that competed in the VCT EMEA this season. After a particularly difficult first season, with lower-table finishes in both Stage 1 and Stage 2, Gentle Mates underwent a transformation at the start of 2026.

After finishing Kickoff in second place, the French organization made its first international LAN appearance at Masters Santiago, three years after joining the VCT EMEA. In Chile, Gentle Mates managed to advance from the group stage with a 2-0 record, notably defeating EDward Gaming and Team Liquid, before being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs after consecutive defeats to Nongshim RedForce and All Gamers.

Back at the Berlin Arena, Mates struggled to maintain that momentum, exiting the group stage with two wins and three losses before being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by Eternal Fire. The organization managed to bounce back in the Esports World Cup qualifier, securing a spot at the event, which was exceptionally held in Paris in 2026. As in Santiago, M8 advanced from its group, even defeating Nongshim this time, but once again fell in the first round of the playoffs, losing to NRG Esports.

Finally, during the last segment of the season, Stage 2, Gentle Mates' promising run came to an end. Struggling once again in the group stage, as they had in Stage 1, the French organization was sent to the Play-In, a new format that brought Tier 1 and Tier 2 teams together in the official circuit for the first time outside of Ascension tournaments. After losing their opening match to Enterprise Esports, Mates were eliminated in their very first lower-bracket round, falling to Eintracht Frankfurt.