Chelsea may need a new spine to their team ahead of next season, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Blues have fallen away in the second half of the season after initially looking like they might mount a title challenge, and they were held to a disappointing 2-2 draw against Wolves on Saturday, meaning they are still not guaranteed a top-four finish.

What happened against Wolves?

Thomas Tuchel's side entered the game having lost three of their previous six top-flight matches.

They looked set to return to winning ways, though, when Romelu Lukaku scored a quickfire double in the early stages of the second half.

Chelsea held on to their two-goal advantage until the 79th minute, when Francisco Trincao pulled one back for Wolves, and the Midlands club snatched a point in the seventh minute of added time through Conor Coady.

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What has Jones said about Chelsea?

Chelsea are currently under sanctions until the club is officially taken over by a new owner.

If this goes through ahead of the summer transfer window, Jones believes significant changes to the squad may be necessary to get the team challenging for the title again, especially after their late collapse against Wolves.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “Throwing away a two-goal lead against Wolves is, by Chelsea terms, pretty pathetic. So they need, maybe a new core to his side, to be honest. Maybe they do need a new centre-back, a new central midfielder and a new main striker. Maybe it’s that serious at Chelsea this summer.”

Are drastic changes really needed at Chelsea?

Chelsea's campaign has not been disastrous by any means. They have won the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup, while they only lost the Carabao Cup final on penalties against Liverpool. The west London club will get their chance for revenge in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

However, it is concerning how they have fallen behind Manchester City and Liverpool in the league. Looking at the make-up of the team, it does seem that the spine of the side needs to be strengthened.

The Guardian have reported that Antonio Rudiger is close to joining Real Madrid, while Andreas Christensen is due to arrive at Barcelona this summer, meaning that reinforcements will be needed in central defence.

Meanwhile, Jorginho and N'Golo Kante are both about to enter the final year of their respective contracts, and it may be time for Tuchel to freshen things up in the middle of the park.

Finally, there is Lukaku. He has struggled to settle back into life at Chelsea, and the club could decide to cut their losses and find a replacement.

With this in mind, Tuchel's starting XI could look very different in August if he opts to shake things up when the window opens next month.