Brazilian Valorant superstar Erick ‘aspas’ Santos has confirmed that he is a free agent following the expiry of his contract with LOUD.
In a video posted to X/Twitter, the Brazilian duelist announced that he will entertain offers during the off-season and opened the door to an international team, stating that he speaks both Portuguese and English.
The announcement comes after weeks of speculation about aspas’ future with LOUD. Before Valorant Champions 2023, rumors began to circulate that the 20-year-old could leave the team in the off-season and that there was a rift between the duelist and the rest of the squad.
"Hey guys, 🐶I came here to give you some news: my contract with LOUD has ended and with that I am a free agent and open to hearing proposals. “I can speak English and Portuguese”I would like to thank LOUD for these 2 years and for everything they did for me. I also want to… pic.twitter.com/Al4RZCQn8p
— LEV aspas 🌪️ (@aspaszin) September 11, 2023
LOUD’s players, including aspas himself, shut down rumors of internal clashes, with the team going on to finish Valorant Champions 2023 in third place. But with his contract expiring at the end of the season, aspas’ future remained a burning topic, especially after team captain Matias ‘Saadhak’ Delipetro admitted that he could move to pastures new at the end of the year.
aspas leaves LOUD amid VCT rostermania
aspas ends an 18-month tenure with LOUD, having joined the organization in February 2022 as the Brazilian organization entered Valorant. He quickly established himself as one of the best duelists in the world, playing a key role as the team reached the final of VCT 2022: Stage 1 Masters Reykjavík and won Valorant Champions 2022.
LOUD found success hard to come by in 2023, failing to win any of the three global VCT events that were held. After being sent packing from VCT Masters Tokyo in 7th-8th place, Saadhak admitted that the team had been dealing with “outside of the server issues.”
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With dark clouds hanging over them, LOUD were regarded by many as having an outside chance of making a deep run at Valorant Champions. However, they acquitted themselves well, beating Fnatic (twice) and EDward Gaming in the playoffs before losing to eventual winners Evil Geniuses in the lower bracket final.
“I would like to thank LOUD for these two years and for everything they did for me,” aspas said. He added that he will be staying at Gustavo ‘Sacy’ Rossi’s house for a while, but insisted that doesn’t mean he is joining Sentinels.
“I would like to thank everyone who cheers for me and supports me,” aspas added. “Without you, none of this would have been possible! I hope that, no matter where I go, you will continue to support me.”
It remains unclear where aspas will play next, though rumors have credited Sentinels and NRG with an interest in the Brazilian superstar. He will certainly be one of the most sought-after players in this transfer window, which opened on Monday in all VCT regions.
Keep track of all the changes in the Valorant scene with our off-season rostermania tracker.