Team Liquid can't find a fifth player to play at IEM Cologne

The search for a replacement by the North American organization is on the verge of failure before the transfers close. Damian "daps" Steele's start to Liquid's tenure has reportedly been bumpy as the team struggles to find a fifth player for IEM Cologne 2022. The roster for this prestigious tournament will close soon, and Liquid will be looking everywhere for a suitable replacement. Liquid used a number of methods, both domestic and international, to fill the gap left by the departure of Richard "shox" Papillon to the bench.

Of the many candidates that Liquid tried to bring to Cologne, Janusz "Snax" Pogorzelski was the leading candidate after he played for ENCE at IEM Dallas. However, due to Team ENCE's ESL Pro Tour registration, Liquid cannot use him for 120 days unless they offer him a contract.

Another potential Liquid replacement targeted for Cologne is Complexity bencher Justin "jks" Savage. However, the deal fell through after Complexity was offered a loan deal by Team Liquid, which was rejected as Liquid considered other options.

Snax was reportedly not the only European option Liquid was considering for IEM Cologne. Liquid were also interested in using the player from Dignitas to complete their roster, but this ultimately came to nothing. It is unknown if Dignitas' recent release from their contracts could change Liquid's ability to use one of these Scandinavian players. It's worth noting that Fnatic recently brought in legendary player Patrick "f0rest" Lindbergh to play in the Pinnacle Cup, while the signing of Ludwig "HEAP" Alonso was still being worked out. Liquid approached Evil Geniuses in search of a fifth player, and Liquid were hoping to use a player from the newly signed Carpe Diem squad. However, Liquid's request was ultimately denied by a rival organization.

At the time of publication, there are less than 24 hours left before the lists of IEM Cologne participants will be approved. If Liquid fails to get a fifth player, the team is likely to be in big trouble. Whether Liquid finds a replacement or decides to use daps, Liquid will have to kick off their run on July 7th when the IEM Cologne group stage kicks off.

IEM Cologne 2022 will be held from 5 to 17 July in Germany at the Lanxess-Arena. The championship will feature 24 teams from Europe, the CIS, Oceania, China, North and South America, who will play for a prize pool of $1,000,000, as well as rating points for the BLAST Premier table.