The League of Legends S15 Worlds haven’t concluded yet, but LPL teams missing out on the event have begun their transfer preparations. Insider Red Tea recently revealed that a prestigious LPL team is negotiating with HLE’s top laner Zeus. Given the current LPL situation, only Weibo and JD Gaming appear ready to invest over ten million in player signings, while BLG and IG, despite financial strength, have sufficient top lane options.

Last transfer season, JD Gaming had approached Zeus but failed to finalize a deal. With the major changes to LPL transfer rules this year and Zeus’s underwhelming Worlds performance amid HLE’s restructuring, JD Gaming seems to have a chance to sign him. However, JD already has two Korean players on their roster, so if Zeus joins, either Scout or Peyz would likely have to leave, with the younger player probably being the one to go.

ZuoShou’s contract with BLG has also expired. If JD Gaming manages to sign him along with Zeus, they would become a real powerhouse again. However, the winter transfer window hasn’t opened yet, so we’ll have to wait until December for more clarity. Besides Zeus, BLG has made some new moves recently. YaGao appeared on Da Huang’s livestream, and during the match commentary, viewers asked if ON and ELK will continue playing together next year.

YaGao replied: “I have no idea what’s going on, I just went to bed early.” Later, YaGao talked about BLG’s coaching staff, saying the pressure on the team is only visible on social media. When Da Huang mentioned GreenHair, YaGao revealed: “I heard he might be getting kicked out.” GreenHair has been with BLG for a long time, so this removal likely reflects management’s dissatisfaction with results and plans for restructuring.

Apart from GreenHair, there are rumors online that ON might leave and trial with IG, but nothing is confirmed yet. The Shang K incident has severely damaged BLG players’ reputations, and ON was quickly cut off by teammates. He hasn’t responded at all, which suggests the rumors are true. To protect the team’s image, BLG most likely won’t keep him, but we’ll have to wait and see. Meanwhile, the controversial Shang K incident has drawn official attention.

During a livestream, both Doinb and Ning Wang said they received instructions to avoid discussing BLG-related topics. Only the LPL officials have the authority to restrict streamers like this. It seems TJ noticed the incident was escalating and harming the LPL region’s reputation, prompting this decision. However, if BLG and ON don’t step forward to clarify the doubts, the controversy will continue to linger.

With the transfer period switching to an auction system next year, a large influx of foreign players may enter the LPL. Clubs will select players based on performance, so wealthy teams like JDG and WBG, which didn’t make Worlds, will have lower priority than BLG and AL. Even if bids are equal, top-tier players will be picked by the top four teams first. Crucially, players won’t have the right to refuse the team that selects them.

Zhu Kai once revealed on stream that if a player refuses to join the team that won their auction, they could face suspension. Therefore, elite players will mostly gather in BLG, TES, IG, and AL. Of course, if all four teams already have enough players for a position, the remaining players will go to lower-ranked teams. For example, if all four have sufficient mid laners, free-agent mids will join those other teams.

Conclusion:

With LPL officials stepping in, major streamers and commentators are banned from discussing BLG, which somewhat reduces the frequency of debates. But as long as ON doesn’t clarify the situation himself, the Shang K topic will persist whenever he plays. The best solution now is for ON to make a public statement and clear things up.

So, what do you think — can JD Gaming secure Zeus?

Feel free to leave your thoughts and join the discussion!