If Alcaraz was coming from say.....Anderlecht or even a club like Gent, with him being a Paraguayan international, people would be simply saying that he is a sensible pick up on a free and will provide good back up to Distin who is getting on a bit.
People are getting all confused because he is coming from Wigan, who stuck their neck out and actually bought him after the last world cup. it's a common error, called not looking at the bigger picture.
As for Kone at 5m, if we got 2 good seasons out of him there will be absolutely no fuss and he will have proved his worth at that price.