Five Harambee Stars Prospects Benni McCarthy is scouting in Germany

Coach Benni McCarthy has revealed he is actively scouting players across Europe, with a particular focus on Germany, as he looks to strengthen his Harambee Stars squad ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

The tournament will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, with expectations high for the national team to deliver a strong performance on home soil.

The South African tactician recently travelled to England, where he held talks with several players of Kenyan descent in a bid to convince them to commit to the national team. Zech Obiero, Tyler Onyango, Andre Gitau and Zak Vyner are among those who have already agreed to represent Kenya.

McCarthy is now firmly focused on building a competitive squad capable of matching or surpassing Kenya’s previous Africa Cup of Nations performance, where they exited at the quarter-final stage against Madagascar after a one-all draw that was decided beyond regulation time.

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Speaking to iDiski Times, McCarthy emphasized his intention to tap into the diaspora talent pool.

“There are a couple of players playing in Scotland and in England. So I go and try to keep up with the players that we have closer. I’m flying from here to Kenya,” he said.

He also outlined plans to scout talent in Germany’s top tiers, including the Bundesliga.

Among those on his radar is Sadiki Chemwor, who is part of the Bayern Munich U21 setup and is set to join Eintracht Frankfurt in July.

Others include Linton Maina of FC Cologne, as well as players based at TSG Hoffenheim and in Bundesliga 2.

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“From Kenya to Germany, because like I said, there’s a boy at Bayern Munich’s U21s who is also training with the first team. There’s one at FC Cologne and another at Hoffenheim. And then there’s another one playing in Bundesliga Two,” he added.

McCarthy believes integrating foreign-based players will significantly improve the quality and competitiveness of the squad as they prepare for the continental showpiece.

“So yeah, we’ve got some top boys, about five, that if we can get and add to the team, things will improve. That’s high-quality players at a decent standard. The better team you can recruit, the more chances we have to succeed,” he said.