Djed Spence: Why Kenya's Harambee Stars risk losing out on Tottenham star

The Kenya national football team, Harambee Stars, may miss out on the opportunity to recruit defensive talent Djed Spence, as the Tottenham Hotspur defender inches closer to an England national team call-up.

Spence, who has long been linked with the Kenyan national side, is eligible to play for both England and Kenya.

Born in England to a Jamaican father and a Kenyan mother, he became a potential prospect for Harambee Stars due to his continued absence from the Three Lions squad.

However, that situation appears to be changing rapidly.

The right-back had a difficult start at Tottenham Hotspur, which limited his chances of earning a call-up to England's senior team.

This prolonged his availability for a possible switch to Harambee Stars.

However, Spence’s fortunes have turned around following a series of impressive performances for Spurs, most notably in their recent 1-0 victory over Manchester United.

His standout display against United has earned him significant praise, including from former England internationals, further boosting his chances of securing a spot in the England squad.

“It isn’t an easy one to choose (player of the match), but I think Djed Spence has been as good as any for Spurs at left-back. Spence on that side has stuck to his task well,” said former England player Gary Neville, as quoted by The Mirror.

Neville’s sentiments were echoed by fellow pundit Gary Lineker, stating, “I was really impressed with Djed Spence again. I think he was quite rightly given the man of the match award by Gary Neville. He was up and down. He was good defensively. He was good on the ball.”

Lineker further emphasized how England's new manager, Thomas Tuchel, would have been pleased with Spence’s performance.

He added, “It’s funny, isn’t it, that about a year ago – well not even that really – we were talking about the left-back problem for England?”

With England’s next set of 2026 World Cup qualifiers scheduled for March, Spence’s recent form suggests he could be in line for a national team debut, potentially dashing any lingering hopes of him donning the Harambee Stars jersey.

Kenya’s dream of securing Spence now seems increasingly unlikely as the young defender garners attention from England’s top football minds, bringing him closer to cementing his international future with the Three Lions.