Leeds had a chaotic summer transfer deadline day which started with Cody Gakpo deciding against making a move despite Victor Orta agreeing to deals with PSV Eindhoven and his agents.
They moved their attention towards Bamba Dieng, who also rejected a move to Leeds and they eventually cobbled together a deal to sign 18-year-old Gnonto from FC Zurich in the final hours.
The Italy international, who turns 19 next month, is yet to make his senior debut for Leeds and Walton feels the club were not initially planning to bring him in during the last transfer window.
The former Leeds star believes the signing was done to appease the fans as the club needed to bring in a striker.
He stressed that Leeds need a striker who can come into the team now and score goals, but the club have signed a plethora of young forwards who are playing in the Under-21s.
Walton said on BBC Radio Leeds: “I think it was a signing that wasn’t supposed to happen this soon definitely.
“He was one they were looking to bring in for the future and definitely the word used there was ‘to appease people’, I am sure it was.
“It’s not a new problem and not a new issue that has reared its head that we are in desperate need of a striker.
“It has not been dealt with and we are seeing the crux of it now with our inability to score goals and take chances.
“And we are still toeing and froing between who should play there.
“He may turn out to be a top signing, but we have done a lot of that; we have signed four or five strikers who are playing in the Under-21s.
“Hopefully, they all turn out to be world beaters but we haven’t got time in the Premier League to dilly dally.
“We need players who will step up and perform now.”
Gnonto was an unused substitute in Leeds’ 2-0 defeat at Leicester City on Thursday night and it remains to be seen if boss Jesse Marsch will involve him this weekend against Fulham.
