Sources: Jankos considered LEC return before staying with NORD

Marcin "Jankos" Jankowski isn’t done with the NLC just yet. As announced by his organization on June 30, the Polish veteran will remain with NORD Esports for the upcoming Summer Split. However, sources who spoke with Sheep Esports revealed that his offseason was far from quiet, despite ultimately staying with NORD.

According to those sources, Jankos held discussions with both Team BDS and Natus Vincere. He even participated in tryouts with BDS, but as Sheep Esports previously reported, the team opted to pay a significant buyout to SK Gaming in order to secure Mehdi "Boukada" Lahlou.

As for NAVI, the Ukrainian organization signed Francisco "Thayger" Mazo for the Summer Split and locked in Enes "Rhilech" Uçan for 2026. Jankos was reportedly not very interested in the offer, as NAVI had only proposed a short-term, one-split deal for 2025. due to Ukrainian organization offering him the one-split position for 2025.

After a promising Spring Split with NORD — which ended with a second-place finish after a 0-3 loss to Los Ratones in the grand final — Jankos was once again at the center of offseason speculation. His name circulated among teams with broader ambitions and higher budgets, a testament to his enduring reputation as Europe’s most decorated jungler.

Ultimately, Jankos remains on a NORD project that has demonstrated clear potential with consistent improvement. Importantly, staying with NORD also leaves him more room to focus on streaming and content creation.

This decision marks his third consecutive split in the NLC, a league he first entered during Winter 2025 with The Ruddy Sack — a short-lived experiment blending content and competition, helmed by Christian "IWDominate" Rivera and Jakob "YamatoCannon" Mebdi. That roster, which included names like Luka "Perkz" Perković and Adam "LIDER" Ilyasov, collapsed in playoffs after an unconvincing regular season. Two losses to Bulldogs — first in a best-of-three, then in a best-of-five elimination match — saw them exit the tournament in 5th-6th place. Jankos left the project shortly after.

His Spring move to NORD Esports, replacing Lucas "Santorin" Larsen, signaled a shift toward stability and structure. NORD had just reached the Winter finals and had already built a framework around experienced veterans like Tamás "Vizicsacsi" Kiss and Erik "Treatz" Wessén. Though Treatz departed for the LVP before Spring, Jankos brought a renewed level of leadership and precision to the team’s jungle role, leading the team to another NLC finals appearance.

NORD consistently looked like the second-best team in the league, and while they couldn’t overcome the dominance of Los Ratones, their 0-3 loss in the final was a step further than what any other team managed. With more time to build synergy and fine-tune their style, NORD enters Summer as not just a contender but a legitimate threat. As reported by Sheep Esports, NORD is also further strengthening its roster — reuniting Jankos with Artur "Zwyroo" Trojan on the midlane, replacing Frederik "NoWay" Hinteregger.

For more roster changes, don't forget to check out our Transfers Hub. You can also discuss this move in our Discord server.