STYKO: chrisJ will return to FunPlus Phoenix

FunPlus Phoenix player Martin "STYKO" Stick was a guest on the HLTV Confirmed podcast. In an interview, he revealed that the team plans to bring Chris "chrisJ" de Jong back into the lineup and make him captain in the near future.

"We found the in-game leader, but negotiations just didn't go through between chrisJ and FPX," STYKO said. "That was unfortunate because even though he didn't sign, we practiced hard with him, we won a tournament, and made it into the finals of another. It was all looking good, but in the end, there was a deal-breaker and we had to get a new IGL.

"Less than 48 hours before the EPL roster lock, we decided to go for suNny, who was on our shortlist of IGLs even before we went for chrisJ. But, when we approached him, suNny said he had that project with flusha and he wasn't sure where to go, so he told us it was better if we tried out chrisJ. We tried him out and it was the right fit."

"By the looks of things, we're going back to chrisJ if everything gets settled," he said. "There is nothing signed, but it's looking much brighter than it was a few months ago when the deal fell through.

FunPlus Phoenix stand-in Miikka "suNny" Kemppi, who was the team captain during the group stage of ESL Pro League Season 13, has been tested positive with COVID earlier. The team's first match in the competition's playoffs is set for April 2. STYKO reported that suNny's illness forced the team to train with coach Jonathan "Devilwalk" Lundberg.

chrisJ played for FunPlus Phoenix from January 26 to March 1. With him, the team advanced to the DreamHack Open January 2021 finals and won the first Snow Sweet Snow series event.