Irish broadcaster RTE are going viral for their report on Declan Rice's transfer to Arsenal

Irish broadcaster RTE appeared to have exacted a little revenge on former Ireland international Declan Rice ahead of the West Ham and England midfielder's £105m move to Arsenal

An Irish TV station has been lauded for "sublime s***housery" while reporting on Declan Rice's imminent move to Arsenal.

The West Ham midfielder is scheduled to undergo a medical on Friday before officially signing on the dotted line after the Gunners agreed to pay a whopping £105m for his services - which will see him become the most expensive English player of all time.

Though he very nearly wasn't an 'English' player at all. Before establishing himself as one of the world's most complete central midfielders, Rice was playing for Ireland, having picked them over England as a 16-year-old.

He controversially switched allegiances in 2019 when the Three Lions came calling, despite earning three non-competitive caps for Ireland's senior side and spending three-and-a-half years in their youth setup.

Well aware of Rice's potential, football fans in Ireland were, as you might imagine, a little miffed when he traded in his green shirt for a white one, particularly as Jack Grealish had infamously done the same thing a couple of years earlier.

Ill-feeling towards the soon-to-be Arsenal star remains prevalent in the Emerald Isle and the country's national broadcaster RTE took a subtle swipe at the midfielder while covering news of his impending medical this week.

They opted to only show clips of Rice playing for Ireland during the short segment, and there was a mild hint of venom in the news reader's voice when describing him as an 'Englishman'.

Declan Rice won three caps for Ireland before switching allegiances to England (Image: ©SPORTSFILE)

Fans on social media were in stitches over the news reports, with one describing it as "masterful".

"This is the pettiness that I like to see, really enjoyable watch," one person tweeted. "I'd pay the license fee for this kind of content," another wrote.

Sublime shithousery by RTE News reporting on Declan Rice 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/FwMwY5BUv5

— Paul O’Brien (@PGaillimh) July 5, 2023

 "Sublime s***housery," a third commented, while a fourth added: "Tremendous. Well played all." Another said: "This is sensational stuff from RTE."

"There is s***housery and then there is Irish s***housery," someone else wrote, while another person joked: "Another joked: "If Rice had stayed with Ireland, it would have been £30million."