Hull City scouts in town to tap top KPL talent

The possibility of more Kenyans joining Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama in the lucrative English Premier League (EPL) has been boosted by the arrival of two coaches from Hull City FC who are seeking to tap top talent in the domestic top flight.

The two trainers will be in Kenya for a two-week scouting and selection mission ahead of the first ever football match between an EPL side and a local side slated for February next year.

Richard Naylor, a former Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Doncaster Rovers and Rotherham United defender who made over 470 career appearances and Kris Blakestone – one of the longest serving members of the Hull Academy staff having worked for eight years at the club will watch the last two games of the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) in Kisumu and Nakuru.

“We hope to be fully immersed into Kenya’s football scene during our scouting and selection period, exchange ideas with coaches and players, interact with football fans and eventually select a formidable team to face Hull City,” Head Professional Development Coach Naylor said.

Their brief is to select 50 players from the 16 KPL sides that will later on head for a training camp in January and will be among the crowd when champions Gor Mahia take on Muhoroni Youth on Saturday and the decisive clash between league leaders Tusker FC and AFC Leopards at Afraha Stadium a day later.

They will also attend Harambee Stars two friendlies between Mozambique and Liberia, training sessions with Ulinzi Stars, Muhoroni , Chemelil Sugar, Thika United, Ushuru FC and Bandari FC among others besides the KPL season’s grand finale between Gor and Tusker at the Nyayo National Stadium.

Wanyama became the first Kenyan to feature in the English top flight when he signed for Southampton FC from Scottish champions, Glasgow Celtic in 2013 before sealing the most-expensive move for a domestic player when he joined rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the summer in an undisclosed deal believed to be 11 million pounds (over Ksh1,3b).