by in
According to recent reports, Team Falcons are close to finalising the signing of G2 Esports star Counter-Strike 2 AWPer Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov.
The multi-million dollar move is said to be finalised ahead of BLAST.tv Austin Major – set to begin on June 2, 2025 – although there is no confirmed date yet.
It was, however, revealed that the 19-year-old is set to replace Abdul “degster” Gasanov as the Falcons’ new starting AWPer.
This is not the first time m0NESY was linked with Team Falcons, as he was on the Saudi team’s radar during the winter offseason when the Falcons made an offer to G2 Esports.
As it was later revealed, m0NESY considered leaving G2 Esports, but Falcons failed to reach an agreement with the other party after G2 opted not to let another of their star player go – following the departure of Nikola “NiKo” Kovač.
Considering NiKo and m0NESY’s close relationship, the departure of the former likely convinced the Russian AWPer to make the switch.
G2 Esports, on the other hand, took the opportunity to sell m0NESY now before almost certainly losing the player once his contract runs out.
The massive deal comes after a rough start to the season for both G2 Esports and Team Falcons, who have struggled to find much success in their competitive endeavours.
While the Falcons left a positive mark with a grand final appearance at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, they’ve not reached another tournament knockout stage since.
G2 Esports, like the Falcons, had a promising start to the season, with a semifinal run at BLAST Bounty Spring 2025, but have since not placed higher than top-six across three LAN events.
Given the team’s struggles, changes make sense, yet those put G2 Esports in a tough spot as m0NESY’s departure leaves behind huge shoes to fill.
The 19-year-old Counter-Strike superstar has accumulated four MVP awards and was declared the world’s second-best player in 2024.
During his three-year-long stay at G2 Esports, m0NESY played a key role in the team’s success, averaging a 1.22 performance rating, proving himself a worthy investment – which set G2 Esports back US$600,000 when they acquired m0NESY from Natus Vincere in 2022.
While it is clear m0NESY is set to replace degster at Team Falcons, there is no information about who will pick up the Big Green at G2 Esports after the deal is done.
