Özgür ‘Woxic’ Eker leaving team mousesports had more than a few fans of Counter-Strike scratching their heads, as the Turkish AWPer continued to perform above and beyond most, and offered a frustrated bit of speculation from fans that ranged from inter-team toxicity to struggles with travel as to the precise reason why the player had left.
Today, Henry Greer, the analyst turned general manager for Cloud9, has been hyping up a big signing for the team without letting anything spill too easily; turns out the anticipation was for the signing of ‘Woxic’ onto C9, giving the team a bit more bite with a roster that continues to develop impressively, at least on paper.
Cloud9 CS:GO present the devastating Turkish left hook of the Colossus 🇹🇷
🔹Player: Özgür "woxic" Eker
🔹Role: AWP / Star Player 🔥
🔹Contract length: 3 year deal
(Starting 09/19/2020)
🔹Deal Value: $1,365,000🔹Press: https://t.co/APb3KTSdRS#C9WIN
Statement: pic.twitter.com/Kvhnm4uQHz
— HenryG (@HenryGcsgo) September 19, 2020
As HenryG has been making a name for, the announcement bares all of the details for the signing of the star Turkish AWPer which lets the professional community as a whole understand what their worth could be, and also includes a press statement that shows the underlying sentiment and belief that Henry Greer has in the star player.
Organizations, take note: this is how you sign professional players in the modern era.
İ rly like to way @Cloud9 & @HenryGcsgo show the contract and how is the deal, money should not be taboo in our society, ofc its a lof of money but csgo is a buissness, very happy for @w0xic coming out from TR in esport and win this money is awsome. Saved his life and his family.
— MAJ3R (@Maj3r_) September 19, 2020
Cloud9 isn’t stopping there, either; they’re working on a slew of merchandise for Turkish CS:GO fans that marries the beloved ‘Woxic’ star with C9, and will be announced (and further divulged) soon.
I want to welcome our new Turkish fanbase with open arms.
I know you guys are some of the most passionate CS:GO fans in the world.
I am happy to announce a whole line of Woxic x Cloud9 merch is in the works.
I will announce details as and when they are available!
🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷 https://t.co/ikwVoEv4Fz
— HenryG (@HenryGcsgo) September 19, 2020
As Henry Greer continues to state on Twitter, they are ‘building the Colossus of professional CS:GO, a team that is being built with the idea to bring the competition into the next level of play and stands head and shoulders above the rest of the competition.
This brings the current iteration of Cloud9 to about 50%, with three players and one coach: Alex ‘ALEX’ McMeekin, William ‘mezii’ Merriman, Özgür ‘Woxic’ Eker, and coach Aleksandar ‘kassad’ Trifunović while managing to spend $3.5 million total to cement three-year contracts with all players thus announced.
Cloud9 are halfway done with a CSGO roster and nearly dropping 3.5 million in contracts for 3 year commitments. Shows the true money and faith it takes just to get a CS roster started nowadays. Nutty.
— Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) September 19, 2020
Two more players remain to be announced with the possibility of a bench to allow rotations as Astralis has recently begun doing in light of serious player burnout, and those slots are greatly anticipated in the scene at the moment.
Some are speculating that Cloud9 could have its hands full with an international roster and plenty fo star power, which could lead to an ego-measuring contest as all players may look at bumping their stats higher instead of playing as a team.
With Kassad and HenryG at the helm, both well-experienced with the CS scene and players in general, however, it’s unlikely to be a problem that C9 will need to contend with.