Ibai confirms Melzhet will remain as Head Coach, same roster still possible

The year is not over yet in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), with the Summer Split still ongoing and the Finals set to take place in Nice. Behind the scenes, however, the offseason is slowly beginning to take shape. During a stream, Ibai “Ibai” Llanos put an end to speculation surrounding his team, confirming that Tomás “Melzhet” Campelos Fernández will remain at the helm next year, with the coach under contract through the end of 2028.

The Movistar KOI CEO also confirmed that he will not attempt to sign Dylan Falco, the coach who enjoyed a successful spell with G2 Esports in recent years before parting ways with the organization, which opted to begin a new chapter with Luka “Perkz” Perković. His comments further underline the organization’s confidence in Melzhet, whose contract was extended last December.

During the same stream, Ibai also discussed the possibility of keeping Movistar KOI’s LEC roster together next year. Such continuity would be rare in esports, with the current lineup having been formed in early 2025 and potentially entering its third year together. According to the CEO, the organization is considering maintaining the same identity around the project.

From Melzhet’s perspective, however, that outcome appears less likely. In an interview with Hotspawn published a few hours before Ibai’s stream, the coach addressed the possibility, saying: “It’s going to be really hard, because they are going to run out of contracts. So I don’t know, we will see how it goes, but I don’t know, probably they are going to get a lot of offers. All of them are great players, so let’s see.”

From a contractual standpoint, keeping the same roster would require MKOI to extend the contracts of three players: toplaner Alex “Myrwn” Pastor Villarejo, midlaner Joseph “Jojopyun” Pyun, and AD carry David “Supa” Martínez García. Jungler and team captain Javier “Elyoya” Prades Batalla is signed through 2028, while support Álvaro “Alvaro” Fernández del Amo is contracted through 2027, with an additional year as an option.

As for the coaching staff, Eric “Independent” Ruiz Bogurina and Barney “Alphari” Morris are both out of contract at the end of the year, leaving their futures with the organization uncertain. The offseason could therefore be a relatively quiet one in Madrid, or quite the opposite, with the organization facing several key contract extensions to secure.