Blow for Harambee Stars as defender with Kenyan roots earns England call up

Kenya’s hopes of seeing Djed Spence wear its national football team colors have all but been extinguished, after the Tottenham Hotspur defender landed a call up for England on Friday, 29 August.

Spence, who was born in England to a Kenyan mother, had not represented any country at the senior level, raising expectations that he would one day represent his motherland, especially if his chances of making the Three Lions squad dwindled.

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Those expectations have now been rendered futile, after the 25-year-old earned his first call-up in Thomas Tuchel’s team for England’s 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia.

The debut call-up comes months after the former Middlesbrough man stated his claim of playing for England, which provided the early signs that he was disinterested in the allure of playing under former Manchester United first team coach Benni McCarthy.

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Asked about his international future, Spence, whose father is of Jamaican descent, told Football.London: “Who doesn’t want to play for their country (England)? That’s something I’m looking forward to. If I get called up, happy days. If I don’t, I’ll just keep working hard.”

On whether anyone had approached him from the England camp, he said: “I haven’t heard from anyone. I’m just focusing on now. I just want to keep playing well and help the team win games."

Spence, who plays as a full-back, had already represented England’s U21 seven times between 2022 and 2023.

This season, Spence has played all three competitive matches under new Spurs head coach Thomas Frank, featuring in all 90 minutes.

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Having endured a tricky spell in London - including loan spells to Nottingham Forest, Rennes, Leeds and Genoa - Spence is now in the frame to fulfilling his life-long dream, one that Kenyans would have loved to go their way.

Spence will link up with the rest of the England squad on Monday, following Tottenham’s Premier League clash with AFC Bournemouth on Saturday, 30 August.