Just how bad / good an idea would it be? I can remember Lucas Neil coming in having been a free agent and he actually did 'do a job'.
JJK couldn't hack it in Scotland, so Alves would have to have regressed pretty badly to now be worse than him. In which case, it's a matter of cost.
I'm not necessarily advocating bringing him in, at 38 there are bound to be fitness concerns, but I do feel our weakness at right back WILL end up biting us on the arse. Maybe it would be worth preventing this inevitable problem?