Martin “marteen” Patek has reportedly reached a verbal agreement to leave Gentle Mates and join Fnatic for the 2027 season. Sheep Esports published the report on September 24 as both organizations prepared for significant VCT EMEA changes. Neither club has announced the transfer, and no contract length, fee or complete Fnatic lineup was provided.
Marteen joined Gentle Mates for a season that began with immediate international progress. The organization entered VCT EMEA on short notice after Riot ended its partnership with KOI, yet it finished second at Kickoff and qualified for Masters Santiago. Gentle Mates advanced from the group stage in Chile before its run ended in the playoffs.
The rest of 2026 became less consistent. Gentle Mates finished fifth-sixth in EMEA Stage 1 and reached the same placement at the Esports World Cup, but Stage 2 ended in 13th-16th place. That decline helps explain why several players are being connected with new teams during the offseason.
Marteen’s individual reputation remained strong enough to attract interest. Sheep Esports reports that he set the season record for kills in a best-of-five and drew attention from organizations across the international leagues. A record in one long series does not define an entire player, but it supports the view that the proposed move is based on demonstrated top-level output rather than name recognition alone.
Fnatic is responding to a difficult season
Fnatic entered 2026 after reaching major international finals in the previous year, but the new season produced a sharp step back. The organization missed Masters Santiago, failed to convert a strong Stage 1 group record into qualification and later entered the Stage 2 Play-In under pressure.
Enterprise Esports beat Fnatic in the opening Play-In match. Fnatic recovered against GIANTX but then lost to Joblife, ending its route to Champions. The absence from Shanghai was the first Champions miss in the organization’s history, creating a clear reason to examine both personnel and structure before 2027.
The reported pursuit of marteen fits that response. He offers recent EMEA experience, international LAN exposure and high kill production. Those qualities may address some problems, but a single addition cannot define the rebuild. Fnatic still needs a balanced five, clear leadership and a role plan that works across the full map pool.
The movement may also connect the two organizations directly. Sheep Esports previously reported that Alfajer is expected to leave Fnatic for Gentle Mates, while marteen is now linked in the opposite direction. These should be treated as two separate reported moves rather than a confirmed trade unless the clubs state otherwise.
Fnatic’s longer-term contracts provide only part of the picture. Kaajak and Cloud are reported to be signed through 2028. Boaster and crashies have contracts due to expire in November, which allows more offseason possibilities but does not prove either player will leave. Contract expiration creates an option, not an outcome.
The league structure adds another variable. The report notes that neither Fnatic nor Gentle Mates is guaranteed to remain a VCT EMEA partner for the next two years. Roster planning is continuing before Riot’s final selections are public, so a proposed lineup may need to compete through a different route than the one used in 2026.
A verbal agreement is not the final roster
The next reliable checkpoint is an official announcement from Fnatic, Gentle Mates or marteen. That confirmation would establish whether the agreement became a signed move and when the player changes organizations. A database update may also clarify registration status.
The complete lineup remains equally important. Marteen’s preferred duties must fit the agent pools and responsibilities of the players who stay. Fnatic’s 2026 problems were not limited to raw kills, so coaching, communication and mid-round structure will matter as much as adding another high-output player.
Until those details are public, the report is significant but incomplete. It links one of Gentle Mates’ strongest individual performers to an organization attempting to recover from its first missed Champions. It does not guarantee that every rumored move occurs or that the final roster immediately returns Fnatic to international competition.
Marteen is reportedly set to leave Gentle Mates for Fnatic after reaching a verbal agreement for 2027. The move would add recent international experience to a team rebuilding after missing Champions. Official confirmation, Fnatic’s final five and both organizations’ 2027 league positions remain unresolved.
