Marcos Alonso showed why Chelsea would be silly to spend £70m on Alex Sandro or Danny Rose with another all-action display against Tottenham

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You've enjoyed a very encouraging debut season with a big club. You've scored and created goals. You've been crucial in the success of your manager's tactical ideas because of your ability and versatility.

Then you learn that your manager is scouting out players in your position. Expensive, high-profile players. Players that will undoubtedly steal your place. How do you react?

Do you: a) throw a hissy fit, publicly sulk and go into your shell, allow the speculation to get into your head and see your performances crumble? Or b) do what Marcos Alonso did for Chelsea on Sunday?

Marcos Alonso celebrates after scoring his late winner for Chelsea against Tottenham 

Alonso's performance against Spurs certainly gave Antonio Conte plenty to think about

If the Spaniard has been affected by speculation linking Chelsea with big money moves for Alex Sandro or Danny Rose in recent weeks, then you wouldn't have known at Wembley.

And frankly, after the masterclass Alonso produced against Tottenham, Antonio Conte should call off the search and Roman Abramovich should put away his chequebook.

Sometimes you're just better off with what you already have and the case for spending tens of millions on a player to replace Alonso was dented the moment his stunning 25-yard free-kick rippled the net.

And it was practically demolished when he popped up to score an 88th-minute winner that ridiculed talk Chelsea are in crisis. 

Of course those goals stole the headlines, but Alonso's all-round performance was outstanding. As they usually are.

Alonso had more touches than any of his team-mates, won all but one of his duels with Spurs players, recovered possession five times for his team and made six important clearances.

The ball leaves Alonso's boot 24 yards from goal for his stunning free-kick opener at Wembley

A split-second later and the ball has flown over the wall and beyond the reach of Hugo Lloris

The France international goalkeeper was left with no chance as Alonso's free-kick fizzed past

Alonso runs away in celebration after scoring the first of his two goals against Tottenham

Combine those statistics with the two goals and you have an all-round excellent performance that was essential in a much-needed Chelsea display of fight and resolve.

It was the perfect time and the ideal stage for Alonso to prove to Conte that he is an indispensable part of his line-up. Don't be surprised if the transfer talk now fades away.

Really Conte should already know this. When Alonso arrived from Fiorentina a day before the 2016 summer window closed, it looked a strange signing and the early signs weren't entirely convincing.

This was a guy who had failed to make the grade at Real Madrid, ending up instead at unglamorous Bolton and then Fiorentina, via a few months on loan at Sunderland. He didn't have the pedigree of a Chelsea player.

But once Conte made his well-documented switch to 3-4-3, the £24million the Blues paid for him quickly came to look like a bargain.

Chelsea have been linked with a £70m move for Juventus left-sided player Alex Sandro

Tottenham left-back Danny Rose has also been linked with a switch to Stamford Bridge

Conte had identified that Alonso possessed the stamina to operate in the demanding left wing-back position, a role that demands both defensive and offensive qualities.

His stats from Chelsea's title-winning season prove Alonso is a rare all-rounder. Six goals and three assists from 31 matches, 24 chances created, a passing accuracy in the high seventies, 170 duels won and 146 recoveries of the ball.

Since securing his place in the team at the start of last season, Alonso has now scored eight goals for Chelsea - more than any other defender in the Premier League.

His spectacular free-kick on Sunday was one of the better ones, but also impressive was the way Alonso was willing to push forward in the 88th-minute when many teams would have closed ranks.

Alonso celebrates after scoring for Chelsea against Leicester City last season

The Spaniard previously showed his set-piece prowess against Bournemouth last season

Alonso competes for the ball in the air with Stoke goalkeeper Lee Grant last season

In a summer in which we have gawped at the transfer fees around Europe, perhaps Chelsea grabbed football's last true bargain when they bought Alonso for 'just' £24m.

You certainly now question whether there is any sense in paying Juventus £70m for Alex Sandro or trying to prise Rose from London rivals Tottenham.

Would either represent an upgrade on Alonso? On the evidence of Sunday, almost certainly not.