Newcastle Set to Sign Rob Elliot for Some Reason

Newcastle United are reportedly set to sign 25 year-old goalkeeper Rob Elliot of Charlton Athletic in the wake of the departure (on loan) of Fraser Forster to Celtic. (The Journal) Elliot, who has never played above League One, will ostensibly be the third goalkeeper behind Tim Krul and Steve Harper, provided that neither one of them leaves before the end of the transfer window.

A subsequent move would make sense at this point, though it's entirely possible that I'm just trying to convince myself that Alan Pardew and company surely wouldn't be worried about making a depth move for a third keeper while the glaring needs at left back and striker are ignored.  Of course, Harper has made it known that he doesn't want to leave Newcastle (The Chronicle), and since Krul is clearly Pardew's preferred #1, it's hard to envision a scenario that involves either one leaving.  Add in the fact that Elliot is a clearly a cut below both (He has great stats for Charlton, but can we really expect him to make the jump to the Premier League?), and it begins to make less sense that he would be a replacement for either.

So I suppose we are left with the unhappy reality that the two positions of great need just aren't a priority for Newcastle decision makers in this transfer window.  I'm well aware that it's quite possible to have more than one iron in the fire, but we are less than two weeks away from the window slamming shut and Newcastle is currently incapable of fielding a proper Starting XI.  A bit of progress on that front would be nice.